3 1822 00167 0280
NIVERSITY OF CAL FORNIA SAN DIEC,
3 1822 00167 0280
Church Missionary
Society Library,
ISrj Waterloo Road,
C.M.S. LlBRARX
A
BENGALI LANGUAGE:
TO wnicn is ADDED
A SELECTION OF EASY PHRASES
AND
USEFUL DIALOGUES.
BY
DUNCAN FORBES, LLD,,
PROFESSOR OF ORIENTAL LANGUAGES IN KING'S COLLEGE, LONDON ;
MEMDF.K OF THK KOYAL ASIATIC SOCIETY OF CHEAT BRITAIN AND IRELAND;
AND AUT1IOU OP BKVliRAL WORKS ON T1IE UINUL'STANI AND PEUSIAN LANUUAGKS.
LONDON
CROSBY LOCKWOOI) AND SOX
7, STA riONERS' HALL COURT, Ll'DCiATK HII.L, B.C.
THE UNIVERSITY LIBRARY
UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, SAN
IA JOLLA, CALIFORNIA
London: W.». IT. A llm, & Co., Printers, 13, Waterloo Plnrv, Tall Mall. 8.W.— L.
PREFACE.
THE Bengali is the vernacular language of thirty
millions of British subjects inhabiting the fertile and com-
pact province of Bengal proper. This province extends
from the Bay of Bengal on the south, to the mountains
of Bootan on the north, a breadth of some 350 miles;
and its extreme length from Eamgur on the west, to
Arakan on the east, is about 400 miles. Its soil is one
of the richest in the world, having been fertilised for
countless ages by the annual inundation of the Ganges
and Barhamputra with their numerous tributaries and
branches ; hence it is admirably adapted for the cultiva-
tion of indigo, rice, sugar, and cotton.
The Bengali holds the second rank, in point of im-
portance, amidst all the languages of India ; the first
rank being universally conceded to the Hindustani, which,
IV PREFACE.
under one or other dialectic form, is spoken by at least
fifty millions of people. A young man who has acquired
a fair knowledge of these two languages — and the task is
not difficult — is qualified to fill any situation — civil, mili-
tary, medical, clerical, or mercantile, etc., throughout the
vast region extending from the mouths of the Ganges to
the mountains of Kashmir; and from the Indus to the
Himalayas. Such then being the case, I think the
reader will feel grateful to me for reproducing the follow-
ing very sensible remarks on the subject matter from the
Preface to Dr. Carey's Bengali Grammar, a work now
exceedingly scarce, if not unprocurable : —
" The pleasure which a person feels in being able to converse upon
any subject with those who have occasion to visit him, is very great.
Many of the natives of this country [Bengal], who are conversant with
Europeans, are men of great respectability, well informed upon a variety
of subjects, both commercial and literary, and able to mix in conversation
with pleasure and advantage. Indeed, husbandmen, labourers, and
people in the lowest stations, are often able to give that information
on local affairs which every friend of science would be proud to obtain.
The pleasure and advantage, therefore, of free conversation with all classes
of people, will amply repay any person for the labour of acquiring the
language.
" .An ability to transact business, and inspect all the minutiae of mer-
cantile concerns, without the intervention of an interpreter, must be an
object of importance to every one engaged in such undertakings ; and in
the important concerns of administering justice, collecting the revenues,
and preventing impositions and misunderstandings in all the common
afi'uirs of life, the disadvantages to which every one is subject who is
PREFACE. V
ignorant of the language, not only plead in favour of the study thereof,
but strongly mark the necessity of acquiring it.
" A benevolent man feels much pleasure in making enquiries into, and
relieving the distresses, of others. But in a foreign country he must be
Tinable to do this, to his own satisfaction, so long as he is unacquainted
with the current language of the country ; for should he attempt to do it
through the medium of servants, he would not only be liable to in-
numerable impositions, but his kind intentions must be frequently ren-
dered abortive by the ignorance or inattention of those to whom the
management thereof is committed.
" The advantages of being able to communicate useful knowledge to the
heathens, with whom we have a daily intercourse ; to point out their
mistakes ; and to impress upon them sentiments of morality and religion,
are confessedly very important. Indeed, the high gratification which
must arise from an ability to contribute in any degree to the happiness
of a body of people supposed to be equal to the whole population of Great
Britain and Ireland, can scarcely fail of recommending the more general
study of the Bengali language.
"It has been supposed by some, that a knowledge of the Hindustani
language is sufficient for every purpose of business in any part of India.
This idea is very far from correct ; for though it be admitted, that persons
may be found in every part of India who speak that language, yet Hin-
dustani is almost as much a foreign language, in all the countries of India,
except those to the north-west of Bengal, which may be called Hindustan
proper, as the French is in the .other countries of Europe. In all the
courts of justice in Bengal, and most probably in every other part of
India, the poor usually give their evidence in the dialect of that par-
ticular country, and seldom understand any other; which is also usually
thc case with the litigating parties.
" In Bengal all bonds, leases, and other agreements, or instruments, are
generally written in the current language ; and the greater part of those
persons with whom a European is concerned, especially in the collection
of the revenue, and in commercial undertakings, speak no other: to this
may be added, that, with a few exceptions, those who have a smattering
of Hindustani, speak it too imperfectly to express their sentiments with
precision.
VI PREFACE.
"The Bengali may be considered as more nearly allied to the Sanskrit
than any of the other languages of India ; for though it contains many
words of Persian and Arabic origin, yet four-fifths of tho words in the
language are pure Sanskrit. "Words may be compounded with such
facility, and to so great an extent in Bengali, as to convey ideas with the
utmost precision, a circumstance which adds much to its copiousness. On
these, and many other accounts, it may be esteemed one of the most
expressive and elegant languages of the East."
Forty years ago, a Bengali Professorship was estab-
lished at Haileybury College for the benefit of young
Civilians destined for the Bengal Presidency. Some fif-
teen years later, Professor WILSOX, tho Oriental Examiner,
substituted Sanskrit for the Bengali — a measure, the wis-
dom of which I never could perceive : hence, for the last
quarter of a century, seldom, if ever, has a single Bengali
book been written, printed, or read in any part of Europe.
It naturally followed, then, that works of this description
gradually vanished from the market ; so much so that it
was with great difficulty that two pupils of mine last
autumn were able to procure a copy of ITaughton's "Ben-
gali Grammar," which, though very defective, is still the
best adapted for beginners of any that we possess.
Under these circumstances, I was induced by the pub-
lishers, at the commencement of this year, to compile a
new Grammar of the Bengali language. The result is
the following work, which is now submitted to the ap-
PUKFACK. Vll
proval of the public. I have used every exertion to
render it at once the simplest, the plainest, and the most
copious work of the kind as yet in existence. I have
freely availed myself of whatever I found useful and
satisfactory in the Grammars of HALIIED, CAREY, I!AUGH-
TON, YATES, and that of the anonymous Pandit alluded to
in § 21, a. I have in many instances ventured to differ
from these gentlemen; and have endeavoured to rectify
what I have considered to be erroneous or defective on
their part.
In the arrangement of the various materials, I have
followed the plan adopted in my Grammars of the Persian
and Hindustani languages, works which, judging by their
sale, appear to have given general satisfaction. This will
appear at once by looking at their respective tables of
contents. The plan is simple enough — it consists merely
in discussing plainly and concisely every part of the sub-
ject at the right time and place. In works of this kind
methodical arrangement is a matter of far greater im-
portance in aiding the student's memory than writers
seem to have generally taken into consideration. Every
individual paragraph ought to serve the learner as a.
stepping-stone to that which immediately follows.
I feel pleasure in here acknowledging my debt ut
Vlll PREFACE.
gratitude to FKAXCIS JOHXSON, Esq., formerly Professor of
Sanskrit, Bengali, and Telugu at Haileybury College.
That gentleman in the kindest manner volunteered to
peruse and correct every one of the proof-sheets as they
passed through the press ; and to his industry and
thorough competency for the task, I have no hesitation
in saying that this work is mainly indebted for its
accuracy on the score of style, and its comparative free-
dom from any serious typographical errors.
Along with this Grammar the student should procure
Ilaughton's " Bengali Selections ;" and by means of these
two works alone he will attain to a fair knowledge of the
language. Let him then procure Ilaughton's "Bengali
and Sanskrit Dictionary," which valuable work is now
selling by the publishers at the very reasonable rate of
thirty shillings per copy, handsomely bound, instead of
seven guineas, the original published price. By the aid
of Ilaughton's "Dictionary," the student may advanta-
geously peruse any or all of the following works, viz.,
" Tota-Itihfis," "Krishna Chandra," "Batris Singlifisan,"
and "Purush-Paiikliya." Of these, the "Krishna Chan-
dra" and " Purush-Paiikhya " are the most important,
as they arc both used as text-books for the Bengali
examination in India.
rilEFACE. IX
I had formed some intention of adding a Section on
Bengali Prosody, similar to what I have given in my
Persian Grammar; but on further consideration I came
to the conclusion that the subject would be of very
little utility to the student. The Muses, when fright-
ened by ruthless barbarians from Greece and Kome,
sought and found shelter among the Arabs and Per-
sians ; but, in modern Bengal, they have not, as yet,
had sufficient time to become domesticated ; and until
this wished-for consummation takes place we may very
venially postpone our chapter on Bengali Prosody.
I have added, at the end of the work, three Appen-
dices, all of which will be found of great practical
utility. Appendix A. gives an account of the peculiari-
ties of the Bengali language as spoken by the un-
educated portion of the people. It is not sufficient
for the British resident in Bengal to be able merely
to speak the language, fluently and grammatically,
himself; he ought to be able, at the same time, to
understand the numerous grades of people who speak
the language fluently, but not grammatically. Of Appen-
dices B. and C. it is needless for nic to oifer any re-
marks, they speak for themselves.
In order that nothing might be wanting to render this
X PREFACE.
work as complete as possible, the publishers have caused
to be re-engraved, at considerable expense, the four
beautiful plates of Bengali writing formerly appended
to Haughton's Grammar. These will enable the stu-
dent to attain an accurate style of writing from the
outset. Let him carefully copy the single letters as
given in Plate I. ; then let him read on to page 15,
and endeavour to restore correctly the list of words
there given in the Eoman character into the original ;
having recourse to Plates II., III., and IV., for such
compound consonants as may occur.
D. FOKBES.
58, IJUHTON CRESCENT^
JULY, 1SG1.
C O N T E N T S.
SECTION I.
PAOB
ON THE ALPHABET 1
Articulate Sounds of the Letters 3
Compound Letters 7
General Kcmarks on the Sounds of the Consonants 10
Of words whose Finals are open 12
Praxis for Heading and Writing 15
SECTION II.
OF THE ARTICLE 17
OF SUBSTANTIVES 18
Of Gender ib.
Of Number 19
Of Case 20
Of Declension 21
REMARKS ON THE CASES 25
Of the Nominative Case ib.
Of the Accusative Case 20
Of the Instrumental Case ib.
Of the Dative Case 27
Of the Ablative Case .. ib.
Xll CONTEXTS.
Of the Genitive Case 23
Of tho Locative Case 29
Of the Vocative Case ib.
OF ADJECTIVES 30
Of Number and Case ib.
Of Gender ib.
Of Comparison 31
OF PEOXOFXS ib.
Of Gender 32
Of Personal Pronouns ib.
Of Personals of Inferiority 33
Of Pronouns of the Third Person 34
Of the Pronoun Remote ib.
Of the Pronoun Proximate 3-5
Of the Demonstrative Pronouns 36
Of the Reciprocal, or Reflective Pronoun 37
Of the Pronoun upani, "self," "your honour," etc 38
Of the Relative 39
Of the Interrogatives 40
SECTION III.
OP THE VEEB 41
Of Conjugation 43
Of the Auxiliary Verb ha-ite, "to be" 46
Of Causal Verbs 43
A List of Verbal Roots 50
Of Irregular Verbs 5.'3
Of the Passive Voice .01
A List of Past and Passive Participles 5 <>
Of Impersonal Verbs 58
Of the Negative Verb 61
Of the Deft-etive Auxiliary uclJ/i €^
CONTENTS. Xllt
SECTION IV.
FAOB
OF PARTICLES AND NUMERALS 64
Of A dvcrbs ib.
Of Prepositions 70
Of Diptotcs or Postpositions 76
Of Conj unctions 78
0 f Interjections 80
Of Expletive Particles 81
Of Numerals 82
Of Collective Numbers 88
Of Fractional Numbers 89
SECTION V.
OP THE JUNCTION OF LETTEES, AND THE DERIVATION AND COMPO-
SITION OF WORDS 90
Of the Junction of Vowels ib.
Of the Junction of similar Vowels 91
Of the Junction of dissimilar Vowels ib.
Examples of the Changes of the Vowels to their Semi- Vowels
before dissimilar Vowels 92
Of the Changes of the Diphthongs to their Semi- Vowels before
dissimilar Vowels «i.
Of the Formation of Diphthongs 93
Of the Junction of Consonants ib.
Classification of the Consonants ib.
General Ptules respecting their Junction and Permutation 94
Of AnuswdraJi and Visargah 98
OF THE DERIVATION OF WORDS 10(1
Of the use of the terms Guna and Vriddhi ib.
Of Substantives tb.
Of Derivative Adjectives 105
Of Derivative Verbs . 114
XIV CONTENTS.
PAGE
OK THE COMPOSITION OF WORDS 115
Of the First Class, or W^ ^WfT 110
Of the Second Class, or ^JT*rlTP >l*Jl>i 117
Of the Third Class, or f^$ TRtJT ib.
Of the Fourth Class, or ^<5ftW ?Wt*r 118
Of the Fifth Class, or 4^4)^ 7RT?T ib.
Of the Sixth Class, or ^Rjft^T^ ^TT^ 121
Of Compound Verbs ib.
SECTION VI.
SYNTAX, on THE CONSTRUCTION OP SENTENCES 125
Concord of Substantives, Adjectives, and Pronouns 127
Concord of Verbs 131
Use and Application of the Tenses 132
Of the Indefinite Tense ib.
Of the Present Definite 133
Of the Past Indefinite Tense ib.
Of the Imperfect Tense ib.
Of the Perfect Tense ib.
Of the Pluperfect Tense 134
Of the Future Tense ib.
Of the Conditional Tense 135
Of the Imperative ilood ib.
Use and Application of the Verbal Nouns 137
Use and Application of the Present Participle 138
Of the Past Conjunctive Participle 139
Of the Adverbial Participle MO
Of the Adjectival Participle 142
Government of Substantives and Adjectives ib.
Government of Verbs 1-15
Application and Use of Adverbs, Postpositions, Conjunctions,
and Interjections 1 ,3 1
Of lif.i-uli Style i.oo
CONTENTS. X V
APPENDIX A.
PA<;R
CONTAIN i xo A CONCISK ACCOUNT OF THE VULGAR on SPOKEN
BENGAL?, WITH RULES FOR FAMILIAR OH COMMON CONVKU-
SATION 159 — 170
APPENDIX E.
ON THE DIVISIONS OF MONEY — WEIGHTS AND MEASURES — DAYS OF
THE WEEK — MONTHS OF THE YEAR — HINDU ERAS — CON-
TRACTIONS OF WORDS 171 — 170
Of the Divisions of Money 171
Of Weights 172
Of Dry Measure ib.
Of Long Measure ib.
Of Measures of Time 173
Of the Days of the Week ib.
Of the Names of the Months 17-1
Of the Contractions of Current Words 17")
APPENDIX C.
CONSISTING OF EASY PHRASES AND USEFUL DIALOGUES ON FAMILIAR
SUBJECTS .. . 177—232
EEEATA.
PAOK LINE
3 25
5 prachur
1
3
19
32 24 § 17, a.
37 31 *f*f
53 7 ^
57 26 •$%
59 14
61 13
73 24
74 4
,, 6 privitivum,
prachur.
§ 19, a.
privativum.
PAGE LINK FOn
74 22
75 6
76 23 *TZ
„ 31
83 9
12
„ 22
84 24, etc.
104 31
111 15
144 24
183 13 ^ ^
207 note, Appendix C. Appendix B.
Note. — The mark repha — or top r, is very liable to break off in tbe working of the
press; and the same remark applies to the slender top of the long 7 T, which then
becomes long n T . The reader will, I trust, have the charity to hold the author blame-
less in such cases.
BENGALI GRAMMAR.
SECTION I.
ON THE ALPHABET.
1. Ix India, and the adjacent countries to the eastward,
the Hindus and Budhists appear to have possessed, from a
very remote period, an alphabet by far the most scientific,
and the nearest to perfection, hitherto invented. From
Kashmir to Ceylon, and from the Indus to the confines
of China, the alphabetic system is evidently the same,
although the forms of the letters have, in the course of
ages, undergone considerable variations. The standard of
this class of alphabets is the Devandgarl^ in which most
Sanskrit works are written and printed, at least to the
north-west of Bengal.* Of all the Hindu alphabets, that
of the Bengali has deviated least from the standard, being,
in fact, a mere distinction with very little difference. It
consists of Fourteen Towels and Thirty-three Consonants,
in the following order :
VOWELS.
da II u u rl r~i U l~i (J~ ai 0 au
* In Bengal Proper they still adhere to tin ir own elmrarter, both in writing and in
printing Sanskrit works ; and a similar rule holds in the Madras Presideney, where the
Telugu and Malayalma alphabets are used for the same purpose.
t As the vowels e and o are always long, i* will be ncedk-sa to mark them as t and <;,
beyond the first few pages of this work.
2 BENGALI GRAMMAR.
CONSONANTS.
k kh q ah n ch chh j jh n t th d
U U v v ...
dh n t th d dh n p pli I b/i m y
r I VOYW s/t sh s h
2. In naming the consonants, the short vowel d is in-
herent in each ; thus, kd, khd, yd, etc. : and in reading,
the mere utterance of the consonants often suffices for the
pronunciation of a word ; thus, 3-^ kanaka, " gold," w?t?
nd'jdid, "a city;" hence the first of the vowels, w #, is
never written except when it begins a word or syllable.
With regard to the remaining vowels, they have each two
forms : that given above, which may be called their primary
form, is used only when they begin a word or syllable ;
but when they follow a consonant, they assume, in most
instances, a totally different shape, which may be called
their secondary forms; thus, T Ci, fi^ i, ^ it, ^ u, ^ ri, *_ rl,
* U, % li, t t7, £ ai, z 1 o, and ?T) au, as may be seen in the
following exemplification of them in combination with the
letter ^ kd, thus :
dkd dka iki Ik I uku itkii rikri rtkrl Will likll c^c aikai
6k d auk an
a. The reader is requested in particular to remark that the
vowels ^ /, <s\ (". and 4 (ii, are written before the consonants after
which they are to he sounded. Examples : f% hi, (¥ he, £3? hai ;
soi'NDs or Tin: I.KTTKKS. o
while *? ft and «* au enclose the consonants between their two
members, as (%•] /»v5, (^] Imn.
l>. The thirty-three eonsonants of the Bengali alphabet are in
reality so many syllahles, and are understood to he uttered with
the short vowel a, when unaccompanied hy any other synihol.
When this inherent vowel is not to he sounded, which it seldom
is, at the end of a word, the consonant ought to he marked
underneath with the synihol ( ) called rirunui or '• rot,'' thus,
<-»j<f- kanak. •J5fa nftifnr. In the spoken languages of India, how-
\ *s ° '
ever, such as the Bengali, Hindi, MahrattT, etc., the general rule
is, that the last consonant of a word is not followed hy the short
vowel a ; consequently, in such cases the viranni is not requisite.
When, at the beginning or in the middle of a word, two or more
consonants come together without the intervention of a vowel,
instead of using the rin'uiui, the consonant undergoes some
modification or contraction, in combination with that which
follows it, as will he explained more fully hereafter.
Articulate Sounds of the Letters.
I. VOWELS.
3. The first vowel ^ a is, as we liuvc already stated,
inherent in every consonant, and is pronounced like1 a short
a or o, as, for instance, like a or o in " tolerable1." Tims,
^w=r anal, "fire." At the beginning of a word, before a
compound consonant, it is pronounced like a in "artful,"
as ^w ardha, li half." At the end of a word it is commonly
dropped, as in the word ^r^iT'l aMran, not alulrann, as it
would be in Sanskrit. The exceptions to this last rule
will be noticed hereafter.
Wl (1 is the above letter lengthened, and has the sound
of a in " father," as ^rf<FK dfalth, " the sky."
^" / is pronounced like / in "pin," as ^"fr im\ "this
man."
4 BENGALI GRAMMAR.
^ f is the preceding vowel lengthened, and has the
sound of i in "machine," or "police," as ^r«, isliat, "a
little."
^ u is pronounced like u in "bull," as ^ utha, "arise."
^ u like u in "prime," as %fsr*f unish, "nineteen."
•^ ri is like ri in " rich," as ^f% rishi, " a sage."
•^ rl as in the French word "rire."
*> U is like U in " little," as *> ^T? li-Jcdr, " the letter //."
& U is the preceding lengthened. These two vowels,
however, being peculiar only to the Sanskrit, are of ex-
tremely rare occurrence in Bengali.
<s\ e is pronounced like e in " there," as ^ ek, " one."
^ ai is like our i in " fire," as ^ aiJcya, " unity."
^ o is like o in "note," as *& oshtha, "the lip."
^ «M is like oio in "how," as ^sf aushadh, "medi-
^r° ail called anuswara, is like the French nasal n
in the words dans and 5««5, as ^-i<if° sutardh, " conse-
quently."
^% ah, called visarga, indicates that the preceding vowel
should in pronunciation, be abruptly shortened, as
antah, " within."
II. COXSOXAXTS.
^ /", as in English, thus, ^T^ kale, "a crow."
«t /'//, like Jch in "black-heath," or ' 'brick -house ;" there
must, however, be no hiatus between the k and h as in the
English words, but both pronounced with one breath, as
*rt«ri shaMa, "a branch."
^ cj, like (j in " go," or " give," as *>tww gaman, " going.
"
ROUNDS OF THE LKTTKIIS.
*T gli, like gh in " hog-herd," or u log-house," as
#/ws, " grass."
<S ng, like ?z in "Lank," or "trinket," as ^SF% anJca, "
mark." It is rarely used except in composition.
F c/i, like c/t in " church," as fpifl chin la, " thought."
^ <?M, like c//-// in "fetch-hence," "much-haste," as
chhd i/d, " a shadow."
s?/, like/ in "just," as w$ jay, "victory."
*t jfij like #e-/a in " college -hall," as (TW %7^«, "a
load."
^3 nj, like w in "hinge," as TT^SIT sanchajj, "collec-
tion." This letter, like <B. is used chiefly in composition.
fc /, like t in "take," as fet*1 takd, "a rupT." To dis-
tinguish this and the next four letters from the five follow-
ing ones, a dot is placed below the Roman letter : it is
placed under these in preference to the others, because
used much less frequently.
£ fh, like t-h in "fat-hen," as M^? IJiakur, "a god," or
"chief."
^ <J, like d in " do," as wft t/al, " a branch," or " bough."
u <]h, like d-h in "bad-hand," "old-house," as FfsT Jhtil,
"a shield." This letter and the preceding one with a dof
under them are pronounced like our r with the tip of thfe
tongue turned up to the roof of the mouth, as "3~5 lara,
"great," ^CTJ murliti, "a fool." In the Roman character
this letter will be represented by r, to distinguish it from
the common ?r r.
«l n, like n in " can," as ^^ JcantaJc, " a thorn."
^5 t, as in the Gaelic, German, and Italian laguages. thus.
v5t?1 tdnl, "a star." To pronounce this and the next four
6 BENGALI GRAMMAR.
letters, viz., «t th, w d, q dk, and ^ ^ aright, the tongue
should be pressed against the edge of the upper teeth.
Their true sounds do not exist in the English language,
therefore it would simply be misleading the student to
describe them ; they must be learnt by the ear. In
Yates's Grammar we are gravely told that i> is sounded
like I in "take," which is quite true; then AVC arc told
that ^ is sounded like t in " teeth," which is quite untrue.
I should like to know the difference between t in "take"
and t in "teeth." The letter ^5 sometimes assumes the
form <t, called the ardha-ta, or half t, in which case it is
never followed by a vowel.
*T^, like/* in "pin," as *ft$ pdtra, "a vessel."
?$ ph, like p-h in " up-hill," " Imp-hazard," as ^ phal,
" fruit." It is sometimes pronounced nearly like/
* I, like 1) in " book," as <rm<F bdlak, " a child."
^ bh, like ~b-h in "hob-house," as ~^^ b/idluk, " a bear."
^ m, like m in " mind," as ^Tsl mala, " a mother."
*T jjj j. This is properly the consonant ?/, but it is pro-
nounced j in Bengali, except when it is the last letter of a
compound or has a dot under it ; then it is ;/, as *Tl"gf^ jajaJc ,
" a priest;" WJ danti/a, "dental ;" ^fr?rl Icariyd, " done."
<r ^ r, like r in " rod," as ?t^Tl rdja, " a king."
cf I, like /in " lamb," as ^rr^ labli^ "gain."
^ b, v, ^v. This is properly v or iv, but is always pro-
nounced like I) in " but" by the natives of Bengal, except
when following another letter in composition, and then it is
usually pronounced w, as TTst^T balds, "wind;" Tf? dwdr,
"a door."
"*f sh, like sh in " shine," as "*tt*t shap, " a curse."
COMPOUND LKTTKUS. 7
^ s/i, nearly like si in " vision," as c^TC shcsh, " cud."
>T 8, like s in " sin," as ^TT? 67//-, " essence."
^ //, like h in " heart," as 3^3 has la, " a hand."
Classification of the Consonants.
4. The consonants are further classified as follows, the
use of which will be seen hereafter, viz. : —
NASAL. SEMI-VOWEL. SIIilLAXT.
1 Gutturals ^ k «t kh *>\ y *r yh \§ ny ^ h
2 Palatials F ch ^ c/t/i W/ ^jh >s&ny ^ ya *f sh
3 Cerebrals ^ t $ Ih ^ d u dh ^ n ? r ^ alt
•i Dentals ^ t Q Ih if d % dh w n ^ I ^5
5 Labials *f/> TP^ ^ J ^^/^ sr ;w ?• y
«. Observe that in each class the second and fourth letters are
the (ixpimtc.s of the first and third respectively ; but of all this
we shah1 treat more fully in a future section.
Of Compound Letters.
5. It is a rule in Sanskrit and Bengali orthography, that
when two or more consonants come together, without the
intervention of a vowel, such consonants unite into one
compound group : thus, in the word F^ chandra, " the
moon," the letters •*, *, and <r are blended as it were into
one character. For the formation of the compound letters
no general rule holds, except that the last of the group,
with two exceptions to be immediately noticed, remains
entire, and the rest are more or less contracted by omitting
the perpendicular stroke, and sometimes by changing their
primitive form. The letter ? being of frequent occurrence
8 BENGALI GEAMMAE.
in compounds, is written over the group in the form—when
it is to be sounded first, as in the word ^F tar/ca, "reason-
ing ;" and when the "$ follows another single letter or com-
pound group, it is represented underneath such letter or
group, thus^, as in the word F^ chandra, " the moon." The
letter *r is also very often employed as the last of a group ;
and in that case it assumes the form J, as in the word 3^0"
Jcalya, " to-morrow."
6. Compound letters may be classified as follows : —
(1) DOUBLE LETTEES ; where it will be observed, that
when an aspirate is to be doubled, the first is expressed by
the unaspiratcd letter of the same species, thus,
Me JcJch gg ggh nn click cliclili jj jjh nn
U tth fid ddh nn it ttli dd ddh nn
pp ppli 11) Itlh mm yy II shsh shsh ss
(2) COMPOUNDS, consisting of the nasals with the letters
of their own class ; but in all such combinations, the sign
anuswdra may supply the place of the nasal.
nk nidi ng ngh nch nchh nj njh nt nth
nd mill nt nth ml ndh mp mpli ml) mbli
(3) MISCELLANEOUS COMPOUNDS. — These, of course, are
very numerous, and a complete list of them would occupy
many pages. The following arc of frequent occurrence,
and a perusal of them will suggest the method by which
COMPOUND LETTERS. 9
others may 1)0 formed. Compounds in which the letter <r
forms tlie iirst or last element are generally omitted, as
well as those in which *T comes last, for those letters follow
a special rule of their own, already stated. "We may throw
the miscellaneous compounds into two classes, the first of
which is, upon the whole, simple and regular ; the second
contains several anomalies, as may be seen on inspection.
In this, as in everything else, practice alone " renders per-
fect."
EEGULAU COMPOUNDS.
$ ffr
^M
T^ chclih
<& nt
$ nth
¥ ^»
IT tm
*f dd
\ dn
W dm
15 dr
^ (/«;
^5» dru
^Sn dru
^ nd
•g" nn
^ nw
^f />«
*% pw
? bb
"& mbh
"^T mm
•gf ml
•»r^
JKU
«P shch
^ shw
*x slim
^| 5/^7
«P shru
^ shk
V sht
^ shth
M s/ij)
T sp
^" 7^c
ANOMALOUS COMPOUNDS.
Jcri
N<P lit
^ kr
^> A"5/i
^T ^"5^/TZ
•^ ngk
gu
% gdh
^ n99
^r jn
^ay
«P n ch
tt
^ nd
^ ndu
^ ^ or ^^
^ Vth
-as ty
tr
3? z'rw
-$ttr
W c/'c//i
^ nt
^ ntn
ntr
•^ ?z^
^ y?^
^f ic/
^ Ihr
^r Ihru
rn
?f ru
^ -5/!M
^j shn
^ st
^ stu
"35" str ^ sth ^ Ini ^ hri ?> 1m ^r Jim
a. Compounds of three letters are not numerous in Bengali',
bcinp: peculiar to Sanskrit words ; and when they do occur, they
generally result from adding to the preceding1, (or any compound
of t\vo), one or other of the following; letters, viz., w, sr, *r, ^, cT,
?", or "TT; hut of these, IT and ^ most frequently occur as the last
element; for this reason, that words ending in the vowels ?t. ^ ;
and ^, ^; are liable, in certain situations, to change the ^" and
10 BENGALI GRAMMAR.
^ into if and the ^ and ^ into <r ; hence, when the latter vowels,
so situated, are preceded by a double or compound letter, the *T
or ^ will add a third to the group. The letter <[ is also of
frequent occurrence at the end of a group, but it is easily dis-
tinguished, on account of its peculiar form.
b. It will be observed that in compounds of two letters, the first
is generally modified, and the last (with the exception of *r and 3)
is for the most part left entire. Two of the compound letters,
however, are so disguised as to have the semblance of single
letters,* viz., ^ A-.s7/, compounded of 3? and 3", sounded like our .r
in " fluxion," or ct in " faction, but generally corrupted into kliy
in Bengali, as in the word ^Ff^? khyunta, " appeased," instead of
kshanta. The compound "QSju, sounded like our git in " bagnio,"
or the French gn in " ligne," " champagne," etc.
c. The symbol * denotes a strong nasal sound, like that of
the French n in the word " sans," thus, TP*T baits, " a bamboo."
The mark 1 is used in poetry to indicate the first member of a
sltloka or couplet ; and at the end of the shloka it is generally
doubled, 11. In prose the same marks serve to denote stops. In
many books lately published in India, in both the Bengali and
Devanagari characters, the English stops are very properly and
successfully introduced. When the figure *. (2) follows any
word, it implies that such word is to be repeated, thus ^rf*t^ is
to be read dpan vpan.
General Remarks on the Sounds of the Consonants.
7. The consonants, as we have shown, are arranged
according to the organs of utterance, as gutturals^ palatials,
etc. The cerebral letters arc sounded very like our own
* These t\vn compounds, affording to some Iliivln grammarians, are to be considered
as distinct letter--, like | xi. and ^ psi in the Greek alphabet. For instancn, in Moles-
woitli's MarliattT Dictionary, they figure as the two last letters of the Devanagari
alphabet. This is simply absurd ; for, on the same principle, every compound ill San-
skrit may put in its claim to rank as a separate letter.
GEXKHAL KKMAUKS. 11
t and (1 \ but tho denials are quite different, being pro-
nounced by bringing tho point of the tongue against the
roots of the front upper teeth. The cerebrals are denoted
by a dot written beneath ; though it should rather have
been put under the dentals, to mark that they are different
from our own letters ; but to prevent the confusion that
must result from so many systems, the plan which has
been adopted in Sanskrit and Hindi Grammars and Dic-
tionaries, is here followed.
8. The rest of the consonants hardly differ from our
own ; but it may be necessary to apprise the learner why
there are so many nasals. In the Bengali alphabet no
change takes place in sound without a corresponding change
in writing ; consequently, as the sound of the nasal entirely
depends upon the consonant by which it is followed, it will,
for this reason, depend upon the latter, what form the nasal
shall assume in writing. As an example, the sound of n in
"king" is different from the sound of n in "lent/' and for
the first the guttural \s n Avould be required, and for the
last the cerebral ci ii< if it were desired to represent these
words in Bengali characters ; because the q of " king" is a
O «/ O
guttural, and the t of "• lent" a cerebral.
(i. As a further example, the letter ]) is a labial, and the proper
nasal to precede it is in ; but by no effort of the organs of speech
could the word ••' damp" be pronounced •• danp.'' with an // for an
a/, even though it were so written. On the same principle we
find that in Latin and (Jreek the letter <j. n, inevitably becomes
p, in, before a labial letter, thus, for cvfial^at we have ep.fio&'ha),
and for hijiono we have impono.
1). Every consonant, as we have already observed, has an
inherent short vowel n. which is understood, but never written
12 BENGALI GRAMMAR.
after it ; thus ^ is ka, and not k. But when any other vowel is
subjoined to a consonant, the inherent vowel is suppressed.
Example : ^ I subjoined to ^ ka forms the syllable ^t ki, and
not kal.
c. When we sec an initial vowel follow any consonant, it is to
be considered as commencing a new syllabic, and the preceding
consonant retains the inherent short a ; therefore ^c« should
be pronounced ha-ite, and not hite.
Remarks on the Letters ^s, TJ, «i, *r, ?, <r, ^"-p", *T, ^, and^.
9. The letters ^ da and T> dha are frequently softened
into ^ ra and TJ rha, and a point is put beneath them to
mark the change that has taken place. The letter IT ya is
generally corrupted into ja ; and when the true sound of
*T ya is intended to be expressed, a dot is put beneath it, as
thus, TT ya. When the letter *r ya follows a long ^rl #, as
in f^nslrr, it drops the inherent vowel, and has the sound of
a long f, thus, pita-i, not pitaya, or pitay. ^TT. "Whenever
an initial ^ o and the letter TT are found combined together,
cither in the beginning or middle of a word, they have
conjointly the sound of wa. Example : ^t^irl ddtvd, u a
claim." Should the letter ^ va follow a consonant with
which it is in composition, it is sounded as iva ; thus in
•ft«t, u an island," the ^ is subjoined to W, and the word is
pronounced divlp. The letter ^ va is not in any way dis-
criminated by the vulgar from la, cither in shape or sound.
The letters *f sha, ^ sha, and "ST sa are corrupted by the
vulgar into a sound resembling sha.
Of Words tuliosc Finals are Open.
10. The inherent vowel is generally omitted at the end
of a word, and the following remarks arc intended to point
ON THE FINAL SHORT A. 1 •>
out by what rule it is retained. Accurately, all words
which end in a silent consonant should have the small
mark (v) written under the last, as ffr£ dik, "a side,"
where the letter 3F lea has this mark subjoined; but as the
omission of the inherent vowel at the end of a word is the
general rule, the mark (v) is dispensed with.
a. In all adjectives which to the eye appear to be mono-
syllables, the final consonant retains the inherent vowel, and
thus the adjective forms a dissyllable. Examples : ^^\ bhula,
"good," ~F5 Ixtra, "large," C^ffr chhota, " small," etc. The same
rule applies to indeclinable particles ending1 in ^ n, or ^5 /, such
as (3r»r kena, " why ?" (3"^ tena, " such," ^5 kata, il how many ?"
C^t»T /fotia, "any or some," etc., which retain the inherent vowel
of the final consonant, because of their affinity in sense to ad-
jectives.
b. The following- persons of the verb never drop the inherent
vowel of the final consonant : viz., the second person plural of
the present tense, as 3T? kara, "you do;" the third person
singular of the simple preterite, as 3-f%«T kurila, " he did;" the
first person singular and plural of the future, as <?f<K kariba,
" I (or we) will do ;" the third person singular of the conditional,
as <?r<!^ karita, "he would do;" the second person plural of the
imperative, as 3F3 kara, " do yc."
c. The inherent vowel is invariably sounded after a final ^ ha
in indigenous words. Also after all compound consonants, as
"*T^f xhabda, ~^S lihadra, Tt^T biikya, ^^ bhagun, ^T^ ntnht, "SHU
matt a, ^f^" panka, '4^'-^ Ixiyaska. AVhen the final consonant is
preceded by ° or i, as ^°TT huhsa. ^§-21 dnltklia. When the
word is a Sanskrit participle passive, as "§T5 krita, ^fF5 rac/iifa,*
^17 murha (also murlt}. When it is an adjective in the com-
* Sanskrit participles in ita arc commonly pronounced also without the final «, thus,
t>Jcr|\j) chalita and chalit, aijc equally correct.
14 BENGALI GRAMMAR.
parative and superlative terminations ^<r and ^, as
priya-tara, f±HT-^55T priya-tama. When the word is Sanskrit
and the penultimate letter is TT preceded hy 9 , ^, ^, ^, or j),
as f±nr p riyu, 3F<r^tir karanlya, "s^T 13T bhuya-bhuya, c^T? slireya.
In the words TT^ sama, W^T nama, ^T tarna, s^jyf^ii tnahiunu-
hima, ^>\*\\*\ aslnia, <T^r raja, *^~ na1>a, "^juba, f^q hid ha, and a
few more. In the names of (Hindu) gods, when pronounced in
invocation, as f*R f*f? shiva shiva ! ^TTUTI (^ ndrayunu lie !
Nearly all words in this language terminate in a silent conso-
nant, hut the examples previously given will show where the
reverse takes place. The letter ^ as the final of the genitive
case never takes the short a. In the word C3Tf^ kon, "who ?" or
"what r" the ^ n has not the short a; but the word (^^ kona,
"any," "some," as has heen already stated, terminates in an
open ^ na.
11. General remark. In reading, the same stress should
be laid on a final syllable as upon one of similar length,
which is either incipient or medial. The syllables must be
divided by pronouncing together the consonant with the
vowel which immediately follows it ; and when a double
consonant occurs, its first letter is to be joined to the pre-
ceding syllable. A short example will make this easy :
^5T^T? "sr^T^ ^T^Ps f^T ^] td-Jidr san-tCui scm-ta-ti citJii-la na.
If a word commences with a vowel, the latter must be con-
sidered to constitute the first syllable. Example : ^t^f
v X
ti-lap, and not al-dp.
12. To enable the learner fully to comprehend the force
of the preceding explanations, the commencement of the
popular stories entitled the "Tales of a Parrot," is here
given, with the pronunciation expressed in English charac-
ters beneath each word of the original.
PRAXIS FOR READING, ETC. 1 ;~>
EXAMPLE :
purbba killer dhanbdnerder madhyc, Am/id Sultan name
J)^ ^R r^C^M ^St^T? ^TFjT <"T -S ti^SIJ <£ft°
ck jan chhilcn. Tdhdr pracliur dhan o aishwarjya elan
bistar sain y as a man fa chJiila. EJc saJutsra asltwa, panchashat
z^t 5T3;-*n5 %g ^«t7?? "srf^s ;5tRT?r Tfr? ^Tfsf?
hasti, nabashat ushtra^ bJidrcr sahit, tdJtdr dwdre htijir
sflf^rs i fri ;;5t^T?' >i^'H Tpgfs f%=T ^r) i£|^ ^t<r«i
thdlcita. Kintu tdhdr santdn santati clildla na, ci liar an
wi dibdratri, o prate o sandhydte, ishivarpujaJccrder ni/cale
aaman Jcariyd, scbdr dwara santdncr bar prarthand Jcariten.
" Among the wealthy of ancient times, there was a
man, by name Amad Sultan. He had much wealth and
power, also a numerous army. A thousand horse, five
Inmdrcd elephants, nine hundred camels, together with
their burdens, used to remain ready at his gate. But
he had no male offspring : on this account, he, day and
night, morning and evening, having gone to the presence
of the worshippers of God, used to implore the gift of
a son."
13. Perhaps the readiest and easiest mode of learning
the letters, will be by restoring the following words into
their native characters.
salcal pratliam Jcailas dpani
sab janma cJihan nikal
man sarnbul dip upasthit
1C
BENGALI GRAMMAR.
samay
mull/ a
dhuli
dtak
kara
pdhuhchhiyd
lairdgl
udak
kaha
buddhi
bodhan
uddsl
bara
kintu
paurush
ishat
par
takhan
bujhite
ulrish
tanaij
badan
bdman
dc/dr
jan
shay an
phirite
drishU
phal
paksha
karite
sitrjt/a
gaman
palan
dckhiyd
akartalbya
hat
dalak
clilidmani
lydghra
putite
chhalan
duhitd
stnlok
nikat
khanan
pichhalan
ardha
ghdii
sahaj'a
pliuldna
karma
duhkh
saran
phekura
kdnyakubja
ydhd
shat
lasliun
sivdmi
Ihdla
laksha
Idgdo
Irdhman •
pur at an
daran
ritu
dhairjfja
bhojan
dhakan
ekhan
muhurtlek
totCi
kapal
airi
pashcJiim
gnydta
nagar
aimat
drabdrlia,
kautak
nanad
aildk
tivancha
eJcatar
ladhan
old
ganggd
upar
lasan
osdr
ydcJmd
ami
daman
odik
mat la
udar
dashan
opdr
at u ant a
dpan
dalak
auras
jliampa,
dsite
char aii
aushadh
landan
drolian
liun
upahata
nibasfra
dkar
rupaldn
ushdkdl
niyukta
dp up Ik
Idjdr
ihdte
rakta
17
SECTION II.
OF THE ARTICLES, SUBSTANTIVES, ADJECTIVES, AND
PRONOUNS.
OF THE ARTICLE.
14. In the Bengali, as in Sanskrit and Latin, our defi-
nite article has not a corresponding representative. When
a noun is employed for the first time, and denotes some-
thing which is the specific object of discourse, it takes the
numeral 4& "one" before it, which has then completely
the sense of our indefinite article when similarly employed ;
and on the same noun being again alluded to, the inde-
clinable pronominal adjectives (?T^~ and 4 "that," are
generally prefixed, with very much the same signification
as our definite article : thus, ^ 3Z^ <s& '3TF3 "^T? -%$ ^Jf^t
j)^- ^s~ ^jp«J PT^ ^c^r? Tff^s «rtf?F5 1 " In a certain forest,*
a tiger and a tigress, those two creatures, together with
their two young ones, dwelt."
a. Should the noun be preceded by two or more adjectives, the
interposing the numeral between them and the noun, iiives threat
idiomatic elegance to the sentence : thus, ^t^^^iki*^ ^TSfF?
"*ff*n]~«£t -^ ^nrl f^5T 1 "The King- of Kanyakuhja
* All BongalT pnssngos ocnirrin? in the presi-nt and next Section of this work are
translated as literally as possible. The student, however, need not dwell upon them too
much at present, till he has made himself acquainted with the inflections of the nouns,
pronouns, and verbs, after which he will nuvt with no difficulty whatever.
18 BENGALI GRAMMAR.
had a most beautiful and moon-faced daughter/' The applica-
tion of (7[^ and J? for the definite article, will he clearly seen
in the following passage, viz.,
^9 y\ i " Aftenvards, the tree was rent asunder of itself ;
and t/te damsel having nimhly stepped into the middle of it, the
tree reunited again as it was before."
b. The letter J) e of the word w& in the following example,
seems to convey very much the force of our definite article : thus.,
1 " Soon after, the Prince, accompanied by that damsel,
having returned to his own palace, those two individuals dwelt
together." When J) e is joined to the adjective TT^«T "all," it
gives it the sense of " the whole/' or " every one," like that of a
collective noun : thus,, tf|«|^ e£|^" ~3f3r (% ("sfsnTl VR-£srl 5T(T5^ ^/t?T
^<? 1 " Now this is a juncture that you should evert/ one feign to
he dead."
OF SUBSTANTIVES.
Of Gender.
15. The Bengali nouns are of the three genders — mascu-
line, feminine, and neuter ; and correspond in this respect
exactly to the analogy of our own language. The masculine
gender is only applied to male animals, and the feminine to
females ; with c<]ual propriety, all inanimate things, as well
as nouns expressive of abstract qualities, arc neuter ; but
should the latter be employed in a personified sense, they
regain their original i'eminine gender, wliich they had in
Sanskrit ; and in that case their adjectives must agree with
them according to the analogy of feminine nouns : for ox-
ample,
OF GENDKR, ETC 19
$ o s>U* $f<i<i1 ^rit 4ddw i " 0 great Prince ! the
rcnoivn of your foe does not at any time, or any where, go
beyond her dwelling, (and yet) the wise declare her im-
modest. But your rcnoivn they pronounce of unsullied chas-
tity, though she at all times roams through the terrestrial
and Tartarean regions." From this passage, the learner
will perceive how neuter nouns are employed when per-
sonified.
a. To form fcminincs, ^ 7 long, or pwt inl, is generally added
to masculines ; though in this language, as in our own, the names
of some of the most common male and female objects in nature
are applied quite absolutely, and without any relation to one
another : thus, *%&$ " a man," "3ft " a woman ;" f*f$1 « a father,"
STfal "a mother;" T^tSl or "^^ "a brother," ^wf^f^t or <f^«{ " a
sister ;" ^if^iM " a bull," *ff^ " a cow."
b. The following examples may serve to point out the analogy
by which feminine nouns arc regularly formed from masculines,
viz., TTST " a tiger," Tf^t " a tigress;" ^;f?«i -a buck." zfgcft •• a
doe ;" (1T51 " a ram," (~»~ft '' a ewe ;" ^^t " an elephant/' ^
"a she-elephant;" fffal "an ass," 9tt€t "a she-ass;" ThT
crow," ^t£t " a hen-crow."
c. If the feminine sign ^^t is added to a noun ending in
long, the latter is cut off. Example : ^~^t ••' an elephant," F
" a she-elephant." When it is necessary to distinguish the sex
of any animal, to which these feminine terminations have not been
applied by the idiom of the language, it is usual to effect it by
prefixing the term vj-g^ •• male," or isff •'•' female."
Of Xumlcr.
1C. This language has but two numbers, the singular
and the plural, which apply only to masculine and irminine
nouns. The neuter has no plural termination ; but the
BENGALI GRAMMAR.
state of the noun is defined by a numeral, or marked in a
vague way, by a word expressive of quantity, as ^cfl "a
body," "heap," "set." A kind of collective, indefinite
sense is given to nouns by subjoining the words ?f«i " a
multitude," W "a class," c*rft? "people," and w^ "a
band," as ^rtsfTsfq or ?is?k?it^ "kings," -*«)<iTf "servants,"
^W^T " a band of Kurus." But when the plural termina-
tions are given to these adjuncts, they seem to convey to
them the sense of definite articles, as ^»«R^f?1 " the ser-
vants," etc. : thus, ^RrnVl *rf5r| crr*t ^T<I <ff?r*r| <rTsrr? &<•<&
^rrf^nrl <-f^«Ji i " The servants having wandered over many
countries, having returned to the King, said" —
a. The word (cffa does not always convey a plural significa-
tion ; for when joined to an adjective it simply serves to mark
that a human being is intended, as "SsffS^Tft? "a woman ;" because
"3ft is so often employed to designate any other female, that it
requires the word C^Tt^ to mark when it is intended to designate
rational beings. Sometimes it implies " world," as *T$M'te " the
other world," or " the state of existence after death." When
written after (Tf^ " a deity," ^rfft " a serpent," and sr<[ " a man,"
implies the region or abode of these beings severally : thus,
" the region of the gods," heaven ; Wf»f7^rt^ " the abode
of serpents," commonly called Patella j •T££sTT^ " the abode of
men," the earth.
Of Case.
17. Those various relations of nouns, which we term
cases, are discriminated in Bengali by terminations sub-
joined to the noun ; the cases are eight in number, in
accordance with the Sanskrit, and are arranged by native
DECLENSION. 21
grammarians as follows: — 1. Nominative; 2. Accusative;
3. Instrumental, "by" or "with;" 4. Dative, "to" or
"for;" 5. Ablative, "from," "out of;" G. Genitive, "of,"
denoting possession; 7. Locative, "in," "on," "at," or
"upon;" 8. Vocative, same form as the nominative.
a. The following1 terminations are added to all nouns, mascu-
line, feminine, or neuter, save that the neuter, as has been
already mentioned, is declined only in the singular number.
Nom. • — iff^rl er-u.
Ac. (^ he j)<jfTr?fZ3i er-digke.
Inst. if|£3 efe. 6($fwCtf£$ er-digete.
Dat. ($ kc or J)<7<r ere. ^fpfTC^ er-digke or if)£<[ -ere.
Ab. J)^5 efe or ^? (.$ ha-itc. ^fpFC'jftrs er-digete, ^7TS-/ia-i
or J)^<><!s 9 d-i er-derha-ite.
*s *\>
Gen. <s(^er. 4jJwt'ft3(e.r-dig
Loc. JQ e or <£\T~$ efe. <£[$fv[ZtfU5 er-digete.
b. The oblique cases of the plural arc formed by adding fif>
"a side," to the genitive singular, and subjoining to it the various
terminations employed for the oblique cases singular. frfTf being
itself inflected like any other noun, while forming the plural,
may be contracted in the fifth and sixth cases into (F3.
Declension.
18. In Bengali there is virtually but one declension,
which we may conveniently divide into two classes. The
first class includes all nouns ending in a consonant, or with
the inherent short a ; the second includes all nouns ending
in any vowel, except the inherent short a.
22
BENGALI GRAMMAR.
Class First— Wf " A Man."
a man.
a man.
by o?' with, a man.
or w^tt to a man.
etc., from a man.
of a man
in a man.
Yoc. W 0 man.
men.
men.
by or with men.
to men.
etc., from men.
etc., of men.
in men.
0 men.
"A Son."
Ac.
Inst.
Dat.
Ab.
Gen.
Loc.
Yoc.
a son.
a son.
by or with a son.
etc., to a son.
etc., from a son.
of a son.
in a son.
0 son.
sons.
sons.
by or with sons.
etc., to sons.
etc. from sons.
or of? of sons.
in sons.
0 sons.
«. In this class the terminations in the singular are added
directly to the nominative. The genitive singular, as already
stated, is the basis of the plural inflection, which adds d for the
nominative and vocative plural, and the syllable dig, with the
terminations of the singular for all the other cases. When the
nominative singular ends in the inherent short a, the latter is
suppressed when the termination begins with e : thus^ putrete,
not putra-ete.
l>. In like manner decline : ^5 " a messenger," ^"§7 " a phy-
DECLENSION
23
sician," $t*rf? "a blacksmith," «-iit<! "a potter," ^i|<l "a car-
pouter," •rff^f'S " a barber," ^£~$ " a dog," Tffr<r " a calf," ^5TF
" a bullock," srf^ "' a buiValo," ^f " a horse," and FTsffi " a
goat."
19.
Class Second—
SING.
Kom. •rfft a woman.
Ac. »<1<rtc<:> a woman.
Inst. ^tltd-4 by a woman.
Dat. •JtsPtw to a woman.
Ab. •rfTrtrs from a w<jman.
Gen. *rfft? of a woman.
\
Loc. -rfftrs in a woman.
Yoc. •rfft 0 woman.
" A Woman."
I'LVIl.
•rfft<r) women.
women.
by women.
to women.
from women.
f? of women.
in women.
ftj\ 0 women.
A Lord."
Kom.
a lord.
£fT?1 lords.
Ac. <snr&$ a lord.
Inst. <£j 5 c -s by or witli a lord.
Dat. >±T2Z^ etc., to a lord.
Ab. £Ts7T3 °r ^Ty^T^ from a
lord.
Gen. ^Ts? of a lord.
Loc. *2| j?<:i in a lord.
Yoc. £Tf 0 lord.
lords.
by or witli lords
etc., to lords.
from lords.
? , <£Tf?fT?£*t<r of lords.
in lords.
0 lords.
a. The main peculiarity of this class is that the initial e of the
termination is suppressed in the singular, and the final vowel of
the nominative supplies its place. When the nominative ends
in the lon*^ a, like f^fsl "a father,'' the locative is optionally
formed by adding ("3 te or 7f I (vide § 9) : thus, P?I~517T5 or
24 BENGALI GRAMMAK.
The genitive singular forms the basis of the plural precisely as
in Class I.
1). In like manner decline : 4t&t1 " a king/' (SPFsl " a horse,"
«T<9 "an animal," C^f?P "a turkey," ^cT "an oilman," i§ft "a
woman," ^frHffr "a sister," sflf^ "a florist," ^f^ft "a she-
deer," and ^ "a wife;" nom. ^, ace. ^*n7F, etc., only making
voc. (% ^ " O wife," with the u short.
c. It is quite superfluous to give an example of a neuter noun,
which is declined only in the singular number, and precisely like
the preceding, according to the class under which it falls.
20. In all works recently published in Bengal, I find a
natural tendency prevails to contract the oblique cases
plural, i.e., those to which the syllable frr>T <tig is subjoined.
The syllable ^<r er of Class 1st and the ? r of Class 2nd are
entirely omitted, and the syllable frp>t, with its termina-
tions, is subjoined directly to the nominative singular, in
accordance with the analogy of the Sanskrit language.
This is, no doubt, a step in the right direction, as every
language pretending to practical utility ought to reject all
superfluities Avhen in so doing no obscurity results. The
following examples will amply illustrate this point, viz.,
Class First — Q<s\ " A Son."
SING. PLUR.
a son. ?&&j\ sons.
a son. ^frf*^ sons,
by or with a son. «JOsqfTfT$fiT3 by or with sons,
etc., to a son. ^^fwi^^f etc., to sons,
from a son. ^C^fpf^t^^ from sons,
of a son. <2?£)fTf£<5t?[ or c*f? of sons.
iri a son. <%^fwct>ft~5 in sons.
0 son. <5ttfsq?1 0 sous.
REMARKS ON THE CASES.
25
Class Second — w$ " A Teacher."
SINO.
a teacher.
a teacher.
by or with a teacher.
etc., to a teacher.
from a teacher.
of a teacher.
in a teacher.
0 teacher.
teachers.
teachers.
ttrs by or with teachers
etc., to teachers.
from teachers.
or (TT? of teachers.
in teachers.
0 teachers.
a. A noun ending in ^ t long, sometimes takes ^ i short
before the terminations, as "^t^t " a lord," "-^lfj|<l " of a lord."
Nouns ending in ^" / short, occasionally drop it, and take <s\ e in
the seventh ease, as <rffa " night," <Tt^5 " at or in the night,"
though the form <Ttf^5 is equally correct.
Remarks on the Cases.
21. The nominative case is often found with the letter ^j
or f5 (vide § 13, #.) subjoined, as ^ "a man ;" Xom.
u the man," as in the following examples :
f«T i "111 fine, the goldsmith and ^c carpenter, after much
altercation, went before the Cazy, who was the Judge of
that place." 0*^ ^j^ V^^^* ^>'tr<v1 ^nrtft^t?^ ^fj?1!:^
c$ r^rr? ^^nr^ ^rftrs ^tm ^^ j?f «tro ?tr<nrtr^ 1 "The
man having meditated for a short time, said to the mer-
chant, ' A fairy having carried away your daughter, has
placed her on an inaccessible mountain."
»H " The rain of this time does no good."
a. In a very good Bengali Grammar published anonymously
in Calcutta. 1850, the author, \vho is a native, and evidently
well versed in his own laiiffuajre as \vcll as in Sanskrit, seems to
26 BENGALI GRAMMAR.
view these terminations as signs of the locative case, and con-
tents himself by saying, " Common names of animals and of
those objects which have the power of doing anything, when
nominatives to active verbs are sometimes idiomatically used in
their locative form." Now the rationale of this is by no means
satisfactory. I am myself strongly inclined to consider parite,
in the preceding sentence, neither as a nominative nor as a loca-
tive, but as an instrumental case. In fact, I believe it to be a
Hindi construction, in which tongue the sentence woidd run thus,
" Tnmhdrl betl-ko parl-ne lejdkar ek durga parbat-par rakha-hai"
22. The sign (3 of the accusative is not always required,
hence the accusative case, as in our own language, is often
the same as the nominative. The (^, however, must not be
omitted when there may be the least doubt to which noun
the action of the verb tends : i.e., between the accusative
and the nominative, as in this instance, c^UlW fo^Utf «T^irl
f*1*ild^ "the cat having seized the parrot is gone off."
Again, in the following example it is omitted, because
there can be no ambiguity, as the pronominal adjective
^srf^t^ must ever be preceded by a nominative, expressed
or understood ; and consequently the word it qualifies is,
by implication, in an oblique case ; and the transitive verb
marks that this oblique case is the accusative : thus,
*nr?r ^rW C^sl srrfrrri <r«iCeH i " Shortly after (the
merchant) having recognized his own. parrot, said"-
23. The instrumental case denotes agency in general;
it terminates, as we have seen, in J), c$, or Jira universally.
The words «^V "being previous," and ^"e^ or ^^ "hav-
ing an agent," Tf?1 and frtlfl " through," or " by means
of," have been sometimes popularly explained to mean
"by;" but as all these clearly form compound words they
will be more fully treated of hereafter.
REMARKS ON THE CASES. It
a. In English the sign of the instrumental case is "by," or
"with," denoting an agent or instrument. The student must
remember, however, that when "with" implies association, it is
expressed in Bengali by a word to that effect, cither in the
nominative or locative form, governing tbe genitive case : thus,
^Wfa 3FC's>lt£4<l <SR° TT^ <1CS?<1 >lf\* ^T5 1 " Dove flies with
dove, and hawk ivith hawk."
24. The dative case in Bengali denotes merely acquisition
or reception. Like the accusative, it generally takes the
sign ($ for its termination. The sign <4£? or 0 is rarely
employed in prose, but its occurrence in poetry is very com-
mon : thus, c^t»r CtrlW (Trtft "^sTtfo ^^5 *i^<i 1 J^ w ^5t3fl (TCc?
<>/\>i TST? n " Declare then instantly, wretch ! with what
crime I am polluted, that thou shouldst address such
opprobrious language to me"
a. The student must bear in mind that when a transitive or
neuter verb would in English require " to," denoting motion or
conveyance, towards a person or object, it is expressed in Bengali
by a word signifying locality, governing the genitive case : thus,
<l fWi? ~^t^ 1 " Bring the boy to me." C^Q^
^-sts<i [•K-c'S ^rf^in f^tf^5 <-T^^ 1 " Taking
the damsel with them, and having gone to the tree, they repre-
sented the matter." It must not be forgotten, however, that
these, as well as every other instance of what are improperly
called particles, governing a genitive case, may, and perhaps had
always better be rendered literally, as fa$<:i? and 7Rt£*t " in or
to the vicinity," etc.
25. The ablative in Bengali simply denotes " away
from," or " out of." It does not, as in Latin, admit of
the significations of the instrumental and locative cases.
There are many adjuncts which serve to express the abla-
28 BENGALI GRAMMAR.
tive case, in addition to the regular terminations given in
§ 16, a, and for which they may be optionally substituted.
They are TTc^ " in a place," 3Tfr^ and ^rfr^rs "in the
W i
vicinity," and rarely £tt", a corruption perhaps of ^"tir,
"in a place ;" these generally, but not invariably, govern
a genitive case. When they reject the genitive, which is
rare, though optional, they are added like any other termi-
nation to the noun: thus, ^ ^*f1 ?1"5Tl r<jp*JlfiT«J
" King Yikra-
maditya, on hearing this story from the Brahman, being
delighted, gave him ten million pagodas." ?1"§rt? f-K-'D ^
<Tt^rl * Wt^iFS c*tsf 5fl ^«n « f%f; ^f^T sn "On obtaining
the pagodas from the King, he quitted not the place,
neither did he say anything."
26. The genitive case is formed, as we have already
seen, by adding ^ in words which end in a consonant or
in the short inherent a, and by <l in those which end in
any vowel, except the short a. It sometimes occurs, how-
ever, that the Izdfat, or Persian genitive sign, is employed
after a Persian word, when it is the governing noun : thus,
03l$lF<fr/»»"3i ^"*?'n <t-f<i<:sH c*r ^irf? ^^j sr^n:^ ^ TTW ^^ i
" The parrot-seller answered, saying, the price of this is
the sum of one thousand pagodas," in which the word
aNcrcst is the Persian «-~-« " the sum of." When two
nouns are in composition, the case of course is never indi-
cated in the first of them, as rstTp-f^Tsr " parrot-tales,"
i.e., " Tales of a Parrot." In Mr. Yates's Grammar we
arc told that " the possessive case is supplied by w*f rup,
' form." Xow the addition of w«t to a substantive simply
converts the latter into a possessive adjective, which is
equivalent to a genitive case: for example, "a wealthy
REMARKS ON THE CASES. 2'J
man" is synonymous with "a man of wealth." Of this
more hereafter.
27. The locative case, besides the forms given among
the terminations of the declensions, § 10, a, is very fre-
quently made by the noun srcu, or corruptly srtz^f " in the
midst," governing the genitive case, or by adding it like
any other termination, to the nominative singular of the
noun : thus, ^ ^*M ^fsnrl ^t^fci *rc^? TTCW f^Ft? ^f^R i
" Ilaving heard this statement, the Brahman considered in
his mind." ^fir Wtfs^ ?1~5fl $t*ij «c<i»< :3C?" ^It^St? ^fs i
^F»t*lW f3T°3T*rt^ <tf>iiJl ?l6?<t-*j <K<H i "If at any time the
King transacted business, then it was in the midst of the
assembly, when seated on the throne witli (Queen) Blianu-
matl, that he attended to affairs of State."
Of the Vocative.
28. The vocative has not a regular termination like the
rest of the oblique cases, but is expressed by prefixing or
subjoining certain interjections, such as 4, (T, (*f1, (?, fFI,
etc., to the nominative. <n is employed in addressing a
superior, as <£( ^rfsr U0 master!" or subjoined by way of
great endearment, as feftir U0 my love !" (^ is also used
in addressing a superior, as (^ ?t^T| '' 0 king !" or a friend,
as (^ fsns " 0 friend!" f»f1 is tlic usual interjection em-
ployed to express reverence to parents, teachers, an elder
brother, or any one to whom superior respect and regard
arc intended. (? is employed either for endearment or
contempt, as, c? ^C3^ tk 0 my son!" (? ^« ^RW ;;0 vile
Muslim !" fwl is rather a Sanskrit than a Bengali vocative
sign ; but when used, it is employed through respect.
The particle <? o is prefixed to all these interjections when
the person is in sight, as ^ (*M *ri '' O revered mother !
"
30 BENGALI GRAMMAR.
^ (*f| ?fift " 0 my dear mistress !" These signs are occa-
sionally put after the noun when the person addressed is
present, as f*T3Tc<?fl " 0 honoured father !"
«. Nouns, which in Sanskrit end in a silent consonant in the
vocative, occasionally retain that form in the Bengali, as well as
the one which accords with the analogy of its own grammar.
Examples: ^TtSR "O king!" In this instance no particle of
interjection is either prefixed or subjoined; but it optionally
takes one, as (^ <Tf3f»r " O king." It would be equally correct in
familiar discourse to say c^ <T|T5l "O king!" agreeably to the
rule for other nouns. Frequently the vocative is expressed by
the noun being simply preceded by ^»r " hear," " listen ! " the
imperative of the verb ^fsr^S " to hear."
OF ADJECTIVES.
29. Adjectives in Bengali are prefixed to the nouns they
qualify, as they are in English. They have no distinction
of number and case ; they may therefore be considered as
in composition with their nouns, even though the two
words may not join in writing : thus,
"The Brahman, on hearing this request, having brought
delicious-ripe-excellent'fruit) and well-cooled-ivater) presented
them to the King."
30. The gender of feminine adjectives is marked by the
termination ; but masculines and neuters remain unchanged,
as in our own language. Most adjectives take ^ri as the
sign of the feminine gender : thus, ^fs "srtty crrft £frrg"l ^9 yl
<F<T i " On this the goddess being rendered
favourable, having seized hold of the King's hand, said, ' 0
King ! thou art a most worthy man, with thee I am well
COMPARISON OF ADJECTIVES, ETC. ol
pleased, demand a boon."1 A few adjectives take ^ f long
to form the feminine : thus, ^ \\w <$$ •^•H^ isft frnCJ '<*<!
JQ^ <sn^ «UC<-«» 1 " Then; lie (dead) in that spot a lovely
woman and a divinely beautiful youth."
Of the Comparison of Adjectives.
31. The comparative degree is formed by adding 3? tara,
and the superlative by adding ~&f tama to the positive, as
wf^t "wise," "QGTfsr^r "wiser," ^ifr-i^ " wisest." So frsa
"wise," f?W3?, f<93i^ ; f±nr "beloved," f£nrs<r "more
beloved," fefTTST "most beloved." Tliese forms, however,
which are pure Sanskrit, viz., ^ and ^r, though regular,
are but little used in ordinary language for the com-
parative and superlative degrees. The comparative is
most commonly expressed by the positive with a noun in
the ablative case ; and the superlative by the positive with
an additional word prefixed, as ^ret5? " strong," ^rfsrtr^s
stronger than I," ^fi5 or ^«j-3 ^sRT5* " strongest
o O
of all," " very or exceedingly strong."
«. There are a few adjectives in Bengali, as in Greek and
Latin, which make up for the comparative and superlative
decrees by ushi£ distinct words: thus, ^1 " youns;," ^f^? -"the
younger," or "youngest," <T$ "old," (W$ "the older," or
" elder," or « oldest," £r*F3 '• excellent," (^ " more excellent/*'
or " most excellent."
OF PRONOUNS.
32. The declension of pronouns is the same as that of
nouns, admitting the same terminations in the singular
and plural, the only difference being, that these are joined to
a modified state of the nominative, instead of being joined to
that case itself. Example : ^nfa "I," becomes in the oblujno
32 BENGALI GRAMMAR.
cases ^rl^n, and ^fir "tliou," fsTsfl. So that when the
modification is known, it is easy to decline any pronoun
by subjoining the terminations laid down for nouns. It
will be found that the oblique modifications of almost all
the pronouns end in 1 a ; hence their locative cases are
formed in the same manner as we stated respecting nouns
in 1 a (vide § 19, «).
«. Pronouns have no particular termination to mark the gen-
der ; they are therefore to be translated by a reference to their
antecedents : thus OT^~ must, according to circumstances, be
rendered by " he," « she," " it," or « that."
Of Personal Pronouns.
33. ^rffsr " I," oblique modification <srt*fl.
K"om. "^rffsr I. ^rt^Ti we.
me. ^srlrrfi^f^fa^ us.
by or with me. ^rt^rr^fpfzsf^ by or with us.
to me. ^rfatfif^fr^ to us.
etc., from me. "srTsrf^fTr^ftrs etc., from us.
^ of me, mine. ^rW^fTf^Tt^ etc., of us, our.
in me. ^rWfe''l7T5 in us.
a. The fifth and seventh cases singular, and the fifth and
sixth plural of all pronouns, take, optionally, the forms men-
tioned in § 1 7, a ; and the nominative plural is contracted from
^5Tf3rf?1 into ^srfairi •
b. The reader is requested to bear in mind that in all works
recently printed in the Bengali language, the letter "£ /•, preced-
ing the word fpfsf dig (with its terminations), in the oblique cases
plural of the pronouns is generally suppressed: thus, instead of
^srt^rr^fw^f^ dmardigke, they say ~^t5rffff'5lZ3- umudigke, and so
on for all the rest.
34. ^fa u Thou," oblique modification
SING. PLUR.
Xom. ^r thou. c^>t*{<i1 ye.
Ac. c~5t3rf<:«> thee. fsT^rr^ffr^fCT- you.
lust. (At^ft-i by or with thee. c^T^T^fwr^frJ by or with you.
v %} J
Dat. (4t*Jl£<*' etc., to thee. fTW<nc?<>f<^ to you.
v \ J
Ab. fST^rn:^ etc., from thee. f5PTf?fffC*fir5 from you.
v J
Gen. csfrT? of thee, thine. (n^rr^fTrZ^r^ etc., of you, your.
Loc. f5W*r in thee. cn^rT^fFc^rrs in you.
•\ v J
(i. The nominative plural is contracted from ("5tSTt<n into
r?1, as the first person a mar a becomes umru.
Of Personals of Inferiority.
35. The habit of self-abasement before a superior, and
of the assumption of self-importance in speaking to an
inferior, have established the use of two personal pronouns,
which may be considered as contractions of ^rffa u I," and
Itfsr u thou." They are likewise applied in anger and
defiance among equals ; but even when they are employed
in the plural, they usually take a verb in the singular
number: thus, ^C? f-H-l?^ C^riTWl C5t?1 f% Orfenrsf^riT U0
surrounding multitude ! at what do ye slare ?"
"sj^ "I," oblique modification (Wl.
SIXO. TLUR.
Xom. ^" I. fsrfin we.
Ac. (3TFF me. CTT^fw^f^ us.
lust. c^Tftrs by or with me. c^rf^f^^"? by or with us.
Dat. (HU<fr etc., to me. csrr^frf^j^ etc., to us.
Ab. c5rt7T5 etc., from me. C5rf^fwz''fr3 etc., from us.
Gen. csrf^ of me, mine. c^rf^fifZ''^ etc., of us, oiu*.
Loc. (srftrs in me. (stt~$fme>ft~s in us.
3
34 BENGALI GRAMMAR.
Thou," oblique modification
Nom. ^5" thou. C5t?1 ye.
Ac. (3tE3? thee. (3t<iiTf*tC3? you.
The other cases may be declined like those of "J^ " I."
Of Pronouns of the Third Person.
36. As the pronouns in this language have no gender,
they are employed to denote, in an indefinite way, either
persons or things, whichever their antecedent may be ; and
hence they should be rendered by "he," "she," "it," "this,"
or " that," as the context may require. Pronouns of the
third person are of two kinds, those which apply pronomi-
nally and are the real representatives of nouns, as t~fr
if^icrisr "he understood;" and those which are used adjcc-
tively, and arc then indeclinable, and put before the noun
they qualify, after the manner of adjectives, as <3
"having heard this story."
The pronoun fsfr " he," is employed when the person it
represents is absent, and may therefore be termed the
Pronoun Remote.
:'He," "she," "it," oblique modification
SING. PLVU.
Xom. fsfr lie, she, it. CS^Ji they.
Ac. (i^1"c<- him, etc. (^rf?sfwsiz^ them.
Inst. f5^t(T5 by or with him. (3»rf3fFfC*to5 by or with them.
Dat. cssrtoF etc., to him, etc. C5^T?Nf?^<? etc., to them.
Ab. f^rftrsctc., from him. C5^T?fe^f^5 etc., from them.
/ \ '
Gen. C3^T^ of him, etc. C3^T^firZ''r^ etc., of them, their,
Loc. C5^t^ in him, etc. C3^Bnt£Sirs in them.
S ' N
riiONOUN PROXIMATE. 35
The pronoun ^fV "lie," is used to designate one who is
present and the object of discourse, and may be called the
Pronoun Proximate.
^fr "He," "she," "it," oblique modification^.
Nom. fsr he, she, it. T<r| they.
Ac. ^Hk<J? him, etc. ^f^fifftc* them.
The other cases arc declined after the same analogy as
those of fsfsr, etc.
37. "Where a mere general reference is made to persons,
to whom no respect is expressly intended, it is usual to
employ OT^" "lie," "she," "it," or "that," oblique sub-
stitute sts[1, by contraction si.
he, she, it. St$t?fl they.
Ac. slpU<t- him, etc. SlTT<rfjf*uT3F them.
x x s s
Inst. sT^^sbyorwithhim, etc. ^irT^f^^lrrs by or with them.
Dat. ^5t^lr^ to him, etc. ^T^T^fw^fC^ to them.
Ab. :5t^l7:3 from him, etc. ^irf^fFC^Iirs from them.
Gen. 3tTT<r of him, etc. 'St^Tfe^ of them, their.
Loc. ^T5r in him, etc. ^T^fe''^ in them.
The contraction si will make 2 sTre, 3 sirs. 4 sTc^, etc.
«. Where great respect is intended, the nasal is written over
the oblique substitute, as ^t5"JT^ '• liiin.*' etc.. and over ~i\ the
contracted form in a similar nuuiner. a^ in the fol!o\v5i:U- sentence- :
r i •• Therefore
Ob HEXGALI GBAMMAB.
being your majesty's well-wisher, I mention, for the sake of
remembrance, that whatever king; is devoted to dissipation, his
empire is ruined, even though his wealth, intellect, and power
continue by him." ^fgfi ^f^T^R %? f% •rfa 'i " The King inquired,
what is his name ?"
Of the Demonstrative Pronouns.
"
38. The two demonstrative pronouns ^ u this," and i?
that," are opposed to each other, and are employed to
mark contrariety. ^ designates the object last alluded
to, and 4 points out that which was first mentioned, and
has often the force of our definite article. See § 14.
^ " This," contraction ^, oblique modification
Xom. or ^ this. ^"^T?1 these.
this. ^tjrffrtfc^ these.
by or with this. ^^t^fpfC^t^s by or with these.
to this. tT^^^t^ TO these.
from this. '^T^^?f^5 from these.
OI< this. ^T^r^^ of these, their.
R~R~tir in this. ^T^JTf^fre in these.
a. Whore great respect is meant, the nasal is written over the
modified form of the oblique cases, singular and plural: thus,
*rf<f^T 1 " In fine, the great men, such as coun-
cillors, literati, etc., who were about his uiajesfi/'s person, all died
by degrees."
39. ^r^" or by contraction 4 u That," oblique substitute
REFLECTIVE PRONOUN. 37
Xom. ^r^" or 4 that. ^9T?n those.
Ac. ^9~T^ that. ^?t<rfTF*fi^iF them.
Inst. ^9l7T5 by or with that. ^pt^fw^firs by or with them.
Dat. ^rrre to that. ^T^fafc* to them.
Ab. ^17T5 from that. ^T^feffiFS from them.
Gen. ^^T<r of that. ^^t?vfe^f?s of them, their.
Loc. ^slir in that. ^S^Tnr^nrs in them.
a. Where threat respect is meant, the nasal is written over the
substitute ^Fl in all the oblique eases, singular and plural. (7[o
" that," which has been already declined, is often employed
instead of Jf, when the latter is contrasted with ^^ "this/' It
is of continual occurrence as an indeclinable pronominal adjec-
tive, and may be considered as having the force of the definite
article. Example : (Tip ^jfe " thut person." A repetition of
C^^ implies succession or distribution, as (^r^ flPTlir ?Tr^t£^?1
'• the respectable people of the country one after another"
Of the Reciprocal or Reflective Pronoun.
40. The pronominal adjective ^^fw "own," is inde-
clinable whenever it is employed to qualify a noun ; and
as it is the representative of the last nominative in the
sentence, it is to be rendered by "my," "thy," "his,"
"her," "our," "your," or "their," according to the cir-
cumstances of its antecedent. It must always have a
nominative in the same sentence, cither expressed or un-
derstood : thus, ^rffr Tt^t srfoin ^rf*R TT^t5^ ^rffryi rst^t?
TTsFTFS <rfwt^ ^f% i "I having gone home, and having
brought my son, will offer him a sacrifice in your pre-
sence." 4«Ff ijfsr ^rfatre *SR1 3lwl '=srf*R *Bf°'*t ST« 1 " Xow
having pardoned me, take your share."
5rt°>T
38 BENGALI GRAMMAR.
" Having considered this, he cut off some flesh from his
body, and flung it before the serpent." The adjectives
and ''srFsr " own," may be substituted in every case for
a. From these examples the learner will easily acquire the
rule for the application of ^Tt^f»T, which is always employed
instead of the genitive case of the pronouns " I," " thou," and
" he," etc., when these woidd he used in English, immediately
with reference to the last nominative in the sentence, in such
phrases as "he went to his house," where ^t*^ is used when
"his" means "his own," but 35t^t?T would be used for his, if it
meant "another man's" house.
41. The noun ^t^ff^ "self," is the equivalent of our
"myself," "thyself," "himself," " herself," " ourselves,"
" yourselves," and " themselves." It is declinable like
the rest of the pronouns : thus,
Self," oblique modification
SING. PI/ITR.
ISTom. <5rf*rf5T self. <srt*Rt<rl selves.
Ac. ^rr^tr^ self. ^rwr^fiftfc* selves.
Inst. ^^ttrs by or with self, ^^t^t^fe'^sby or with selves.
Dat. ^rfsf^rtr^ to self. ^rf^r^T?sfF?)r^ to selves.
Ab. ^rr^RTrs from self. ^rr^i^t?sf^^f^ from selves.
Gen. ^rr^RT^ of self. ^rf^PT?sf^<'f^ of selves.
Loc. ^WHT in self. ^^Rt?fe^t^ in selves.
a. When ^t^tfr " self," is employed, it is of course used
nominatively, and not adjectivcly : thus, nfpf ^ <t- *q t ^ fSt^TT? ^twt
^rroT^R -5C* C5t*rfre ^Tf^Rt^ ^^^ ^f?^^T i " Sliouhl your lord
return unexpectedly, he will keep you alone wit It himself.'*
^ttfr " self," may immediately follow any of the personal pro-
RELATIVE PRONOUN. 39
nouns, for the purpose of giving emphasis to the action implied
by the verb, as ^{fa <3rf*ffr ^1 ^f?cTt*r " I myse/f <\'n\ that."
42. "When great respect and deference arc intended in
speaking of another, or in addressing one who is present,
the word ^Tf^rfr is used, and will then mean " your," or
4 'his honour;" "your," or "her ladyship;" or any simi-
larly respectful form of address, according to the rank of
the person who is intended to be designated. It of course
governs the verb in the third person, should it be employed
nominatively ; but when used in the oblique cases, it is
thus declined :
"Your honour," etc., oblique modification
Xom. ^rf^ffr your honour, etc. "^Tt^t^lTI your honours.
Ac. ^srf^TUr^ your honour, etc. ^^f^rr^frf^^ your, etc.
The remaining cases are declined like those of any other
pronoun.
a. The learner cannot fail to have observed the similarity in
the use of ^srt^ff^ with the Latin ij>.*:e} in many of the foregoing
remarks. A sort of coiitiiiuativc sense is given to words by
repeating them,, as c^rt" ^Tf^*. VTR fe^Fsfl ^f^CsR 1 "he
reflected a lung time in his mind."
Of the Relative
43. ftfr " who," is the corresponding relative of the
pronoun fsfr "he," etc., and takes for its modified form
SIXO. PLVU.
ftrfr -\vho. c^^t?1 who.
Ac. (iHtd$ whom. cwf^fT??!^ whom.
40 BENGALI GRAMMAE.
The other cases are declined like those
The analogous relative of C3^" " he," etc., is c*r " who,"
" which," "what," oblique substitute
Nom. c*r who, which, what. *rt^T?1 who, etc.
Ac. *ri3jc«? whom, etc. sm^ffrtftfF whom, etc.
The other cases are declined like those of
a. Where great deference is intended to any one, the nasal
may be inserted in the oblique substitute., which is then the
corresponding relative of ^t^l : thus, (i|*H G3«T 3Ft
?lT(T?'f'' 1 "Just as the most minute drop of oil
can overspread the greatest extent of water, so he who is a hero,
having acquired the smallest point of territory in this world, is
able in a short space of time, to overrun every (neighbouring
kingdom).
Of the Interrogatives.
44. The pronoun c$ "who?" "which?" is employed
for persons, and f% "what?" "which?" for things; but
both (^ and f% take ^t^t for the oblique substitute, which
may be contracted into ^1 , by the same analogy that
becomes ^1,
Nom. C$ who ? which ? ?Tt^lTl who ? which ?
Ac. ^lfw whom ? which ? ^Tffw^t^ whom ? which ?
The remaining cases are declined after the same analogy
as those of the other pronouns.
ft? " Which ?" " what ?" oblique substitute
INTERROGATE YES. 41
NEUTER
]STom. fr which '? what ? ^ft[T31 which ? what ?
Ac. <H?Jd$ which ? what ? «-t$t<ifif'>tt^ which ? what ?
The remaining cases are declined like those of the other
pronouns.
m* " which?" "what?" as m^ ?ifss "what man?"
oblique substitutes f^r. It has no plural.
Nom. (Tf^ which ? what ?
Ac. r$*iT$ which ? what ?
The remaining cases may be declined after the same
analogy as the singular cases of other pronouns.
45. Under the head of pronominal adjectives may be
classed (^ "any one," oblique modification w^\. But
C^fa and f%|[ " any," " some," ^r^ " other ;" and fsrsr, -*Jl^i,
and ^rf^ "own," which have been already alluded to, are
all indeclinable without any modification or substitution.
a. (% is occasionally found repeated, to give an idea of repeti-
tion or multiplicity, and may be rendered by ''whatsoever" or
'. every,'' as in the following passage : ^jF«l1 <T<I^1 "3Z=T <rTSTl
•SCf^IT? 1 OT (3 ^*T1 ^^ *n&f "Zf* ttS 11 " King Yudhishthir,
being moved even unto tears, repeated every word of Narad,
chief of sages. (^ (^ " whosoever," "every one," is similarly
employed for persons, and takes as its oblique modification
(^ Wt^\ • C$T*l (^ " any one," is used indefinitely, and takes as
its oblique modification (3Tf»r ^T^"l« The Sanskrit pronouns ^R
"that," J^tf "this," and ^Hr "what," are very frequently found
in composition, as ^rW^ "that form/' <fT3it?R*f "this form,"
" what thing," " whatever."
42
SECTION III.
OF THE VERB.
46. The Bengali verb is extremely simple and regular
throughout the whole of its inflections. There is only one
conjugation, consisting of nine tenses, and it is applicable
to every verb in the language. There are two numbers,
the singular and plural, which are very much confounded,
the plural being very often made to agree with a singular
noun or pronoun, and vice versa. ' The singular number of
the verb is generally employed with the plural of nouns
and pronouns, denoting inferiors in rank, to mark more
particularly the idea of such inferiority. Conversely, when
honour or respect is intended, a noun or pronoun in the
singular takes the verb in the plural. In consequence of
these arbitrary customs, there is a good deal of irregularity
in the use of the verbal terminations denoting the singular
and plural numbers.
«. The rules relating to the employment of the singular or
plural verb shall be more fully treated of in our section on the
Syntax of the Language. The subject is here noticed merely
that the student may not feel embarrassed in translating the
various easy quotations hitherto given in this work.
47. The second person singular of the imperative, as the
shortest and simplest member of the verb, is considered as
the root. From this root arc regularly formed two parti-
ciples; thus, from the root ^ "make thou," are formed
OF THE VEIIB. 43
the present participle <Ff?<re " making," by adding the ter-
mination itc ; and also the past or conjunctive participle
<-P<iil1 "made" or "having made," by adding the termina-
tion tf/d to the root. The whole of the nine tenses are
derived either immediately from the root, or from one or
other of the two foremcntioned participles, as will be seen
in the following paradigm.
a. When the root ends in any vowel, except the inherent a,
or in a single consonant, in which case the inherent a is never
sounded, the terminations ife and it/a are added to it directly, as
we have just seen. If, on the other hand, the root ends in a com-
pound consonant, and consequently, by rule, with the inherent
short a, the latter is suppressed on receiving the additional ter-
minations ife and iya of the participles. It is a rule, however,
that even when ending1 with a compound consonant, the second
person singular of the imperative suppresses the inherent short a
in order to distinguish the same from the second person plural.
48. We shall now proceed to exemplify the conjugation
of a Bengali verb, briefly noticing the mode of forming
each tense or part as we go along. We may observe in
the mean time that the form in which the Bengali verb is
always found in the dictionary is that of a verbal noun, as
3F?«1 "a doing," rendered in English "to do,'.' ScR "a
moving/' cf«fr "a seeing," (crsfr "a writing." This verbal
noun is formed by adding the termination *t an to the root,
except when the latter ends in ?, and in a few other
instances of Sanskrit formation, in which case the cerebral
«l an or nd is added. We shall select as our model the
transitive verb ^q "making" or "doing." Observe, at
the same time, that the first persons singular and plural
are the same throughout.
44 BEXGALl GRAMMAR.
PRINCIPAL PARTS.
Eoot^( "Do thou."
Present Participle ^f%T3 " Doing."
Past or Conjunctive Participle <tf<iyl "Done" or " having
done."
1st. Present Indefinite Tense, formed by adding to the
root the terminations i, is, and e respectively, for the three
persons singular ; and i, a, and en, for the plural : thus,
1. ^f? I do. 1. ^f?r we do.
2. ^f?f5T thou dost. 2. ^<r you do.
s •>
3. ^? he does. 3. ^£?w they do.
2nd. Present Definite Tense, formed by adding to the
present participle the terminations chid, chhis, clihe, for the
singular ; and chid, chhd, chhen, for the plural : thus,
I am doing. <t-f<i(:ir^ we arc doing.
T thou art doing. ^f%r5^ you are doing.
he is doing. ^f^as^r they are doing.
3rd. Past Indefinite Tense, formed by adding to the root
the terminations ildm, Hi, ild or ilele, for the singular ; and
i lam, ild, ilcn, for the plural : thus,
^f%«rfsT I did. ^f?srfsr AVG did.
% thou didst. ?-f?cTl you did.
or -^ he did. ^f?n/5TV they did.
4th. Imperfect Tense, formed by adding to the present
participle the terminations chldldm, chldli, chhild or chhiielc,
for the singular ; and chldldm, chhild, c/ihilen, for the
plural : thus,
OF THE VERB. 45
^ I was doing. ^-f^rsf^rt^ wo were doing.
tliou wast doing. <-f<i(:ir^^1 you were doing.
or -4-£ he was doing. ^f?ref^T^ they were doing.
5th. Perfect Tense, formed by adding to the past or con
junctive participle the terminations of the present definite :
thus,
I have done. <<r<iyTfV we have done.
tliou hast done. <T<iyt'^' you have done.
he has done. ^f^irnr^T they have done.
Gth. Pluperfect Tense, formed by adding to the past par-
ticiple the terminations of the imperfect tense : thus,
I had done. ^fwfft ^'e had done.
tliou hadst done. ^f^rtf^n you had done.
or -^ he had done. <-f<tiltf^(^T^ they had done.
7th. Future Tense, formed by adding to the root the
terminations ild, ill, lie or ilcJc, for the singular ; and ild,
ild, ibcn, for the plural : thus,
«-r<t< I shall or will do. <£f^$ we shall or will do.
tliou wilt do. <t-T<i<1 you will do.
or c^? he will do. <-f<l<:<M they will do.
8th. Conditional Tense, formed by adding to the root the
terminations itdm, ill or it is, itu, for the singular ; and Ham,
ltd, iten, for the plural : thus,
I did or would do. ^f^stsr AVC did or would do.
\
or ^-FfifiiH tliou wouldst do. ^f?T| you did or would do.
\ «.'
he did or would do. «-r<t<:««J they did or would do.
46 BENGALI GRAMMAR.
9th. Imperative Mood, formed by adding to the root the
terminations i, is, uk, for the singular ; and i, d} aha or io
and un, for the plural : thus,
SING. PLUR.
3 let me do. 3-f? let us do.
<r or <?f<iii do thou. ^<r, ^3^? or ^f?^ ao ye.
let him do. <$w»* let them do.
The remaining parts of the verb are — 1st. The Infinitive,
to do," or "make," which is the same as the pre-
sent participle already described. 2nd. The Verbal Noun,
^?ro " the act of doing" (already mentioned), and ^<rj u the
doing," in an abstract sense. 3rd. The Present Participle,
3f?HT5 (already mentioned), and contracted ^^ " doing" or
" making." 4th. The Passive Participle, ^s " done,"
which is borrowed from the Sanskrit, and not reducible, like
the other parts, to any general rule. 5th. The Conjunctive
Past Participle, ^f%, ^ferrl, ^?J|, 3RT?, "done," or "having
done." 6th. The Adverbial Participle, qfgtt "on doing," or
"being done," formed by adding He to the root. 7th. The
Gerund, Nom. 3f?Rl "doing;" Dat. <Ff?Rt£<r "to do," or
"for the doing;" Gen. ^f|Rt? "of doing;" Loc. ^rcfr?
" in doing."
40. As a further example, we here subjoin the verb
\** ct> ha-ite, "to be," or "to become," which is quite
regular and, like our own verb "to be," is of frequent
occurrence as an auxiliary. It will, at the same time,
serve as a model for any verb formed from, a root which
ends in a vowel.
OF THE VERB.
1st. Indefinite.
T am or become.
T thou art, etc.
he is, etc.
^ o we are or become.
^« you are, etc.
^ they are, etc.
2nd. Present Definite.
I am becoming. ^^"d-ftfV we are becoming.
thou art becoming, ^o (.^ you arc becoming.
he is becoming. ^3* cic^* they are becoming.
3rd. Simple Preterite.
I was or became. ^o cripsr we were or became.
thou wast, etc. ^p dl you were, etc.
he was, etc. ^^c^^ they were, etc.
4th. Imperfect.
^it I was becomin,
? f% thou wast becoming. ^
or -Ji he was be- 9
comn.
n.
5th. Perfect.
I have been, etc.
thou hast been.
ho has been.
Gth. Pluperfect.
sr I had been, etc.
thou hadst boon.
he had boon.
we were becoming.
you were becoming.
they were becom-
we have been.
you have been.
t they have been.
^ we had been.
you had been.
the had beeu.
48
BENGALI GRAMMAR.
7th. Future.
SING.
I shall be or become,
thou shalt be.
r or -^ he shall be.
8th. Conditional.
s I would be.
or ^$ P**i thou wouldst be.
he would be.
we shall be.
you shall be.
the shall be.
we would be.
you would be.
they would be.
9th. Imperative.
3ft" let me be or become. ^t" let us be or become.
^e be thou, etc. ^ or ^>e be ye, etc.
? let him be, etc. ^%^ or d^ let them be, etc.
or
The remaining parts are — The Infinitive, ^T5 "to be,"
or " to become." Participle — Past, ^ " been," " become."
Conjunctive,, ^, ^? til "being," " having been," or "having
become." Adverbial, 3^"&s\ a on being," or "becoming."
Gerund, ^Tl "being;" ^t"Tfr? "to," or "for being;"
3^~3t<r " of being ;" ^^tc? " in being." Verbal Nount ^^
or ^-sirl u being," or "becoming."
Of Causal Verbs.
50. Any verb may be rendered causal by adding ^rl
to the root, as ^ "do," wl "cause to do." If the root
end in ^ originally, it is made causal by adding ^Tl ivd
(soe § 9), as *n "eat," <TT>e?1 "cause to eat" (feed). All
causal verbs arc conjugated after the foregoing example;
but for the sake of making the subject quite clear, the first
CAUSAL VK1U5S. 49
person of every tense of the verb $4t^C* u to cause to do,"
JL J '
or " cause to make," is subjoined : thus,
1st. Present Indefinite, <-<itQ " I cause to do," etc.
2nd. Present Definite, <r-<il» diffe> "I am causing to do,"
etc.
3rd. Past Indefinite, ^t^rt-r "I caused to do," etc.
J \ 7
4th. Imperfect, ^t^T^f^rf^ " I Avas causing to do," etc.
JL *f J \ O
5th. Perfect, ^T^"?tf% "I have caused to do," etc.
Gth. Pluperfect, <J?<U<? illHj^fsr " I had caused to do," etc.
7th. Future, Wl^"3 " I shall or will cause to do," etc.
8th. Conditional, W$W~5\?{ " I would cause to do," etc.
9th. Imperative, ^?tt" " let me cause to do," etc.
The remaining parts arc — 1st. The Infinitive, «-<i|5> CA "to
cause to do," or "make." 2nd. Vc rial Noun, ^rfl Jcardnd,
i , '
in which the inherent final d is alwavs to be sounded,
V /
"the act of causing to do." 3rd. Present Participle,
<$4l9 Cxi " causing to do." 4th. Passive Participle. ^Tjrf4!
^ o J. i
" caused to be done." oth. Conjunctive Past Participle,
<><1|9 , ^-fU^yl "having caused to do," or "to be done."
Gth. Adverbial, <Hl9 t*r " on causing," or " being caused to
do." 7th. Gerund, ^T^Ti " causing to do," <-<t|$ <tl<:<l "for
causing to do," ^tR"^1? " of causing to do," ^ttXft? "in
O / N \ *— ' / >
causing to do.'
"
«. We may here remark that in all verbs whose root ends in
^5 whether they be eausals or not, the second person plural of
the present and imperative is formed by adding ^ to the root:
thus ?T<r|^ "you cause to do," or " cause you to do." The third
person singular of the present indefinite tense is formed hy
adding IT to the root: thus, 3F<rtrr "he causes to do." The same
rule, as we may observe, applies to the verb jj^TS lia-itc, "'to
be," whose root ends in the short a.
50 BENGALI GRAMMAR.
51. The following alphabetical list of roots of the most
common transitive and intransitive verbs will prove highly
useful to the learner. They arc therefore here given, partly
for exercise in conjugating the verb, and partly for the
purpose of being committed to memory. By subjoining
^TT5 to any of these roots, the infinitive may be formed ;
and the verbal nouns in ^r and ^rl may be made by add-
ing these last terminations to the root. In forming the
verbal noun in ^rl with roots which end in a vowel, the
termination ^fl, and not ^, is subjoined to the root, to
• / / \} j
prevent a hiatus in the sound: thus ^ ube," makes ^jl
"the being." Any root, as has been mentioned, may be
made causal by subjoining ^rl to it. The last letter of
every one of the following roots, if a consonant, is deprived
of the inherent short d: even when preceded by another
consonant ; thus the word ^^ as a verbal root, denoting
"mark thou," is sounded auk] but as a substantive, de-
noting " a mark," or in the second person plural, denoting
" ye mark," or " mark ye," of the verb, it is sounded anJcd.
mark
worship
~5Tsf earn
inherit
!i -serve
come
r attack
dash
respect
bring
invite
begin
irto worship
^sri abate
:?t^" mount
^t tremble
?fT^r converse
^? do
%^ embrace
^ tighten
tfm cheer
<^" say
if wish
^f& cut
arise
f T*T tremble
fly
^T1 earn, sh
? alight, arrive
^T^f coim'h
CJ
ft? belch
f%^ buy
i? overset
3n> pound
^Tt thunder
W% pardon
VF.HHAL ROOTS.
51
^ ooze, drop
fFsr recognise
FF snap, break
^fsT wash, purify
/ i. */
fFTl chew
"&? fear
Csp^f cast, iling
/ u
fF<r tear
w% grind
^^ break, efface
j; ooze, leak
^5T^ call, send for
«T| eat
5^ err
^T drown
*T?r open
C*f5T sport
JT kiss
CFFl scream
FrT cover
Ff^T pour
C<fli5f seek
CF51 make aware
TTs beat
C«rt?1 lose
*T5f roar
(F? split, rend
(Ff^ suck
fs^r stay
CTf^r gladden
I fashion
•^T deceive
^1 cover, thatch
CTj^T weigh
«rs? abandon
*t«l count
^fs quit
«tt^ dwell
*t«T melt
Wt*r knead
tf*T see
*fl sing
^ escape
ifsT tread on
sri? elapse
C^1~5 fire a gun
trts[ burn
5T¥ rub
:Sr3T produce
Or give
frT% perspire
W? decay, digest
C?^ sec
w? revolve
:srR know
Ott^ swincr
» j
C*T? surround
W[^\ lii»;ht
*J
(Ff^; milk
FS mount
fsrsotJT ask
OTl"? run
Fsre start
fsr^ will
st^ snub
F? graze
^tn revive
sr? seize
F5T move
fSftFj y«ke (cattle).
^rr? hold, keep
* J taste
r5ff"5 join
C^rfi; till
C*fi wash
»^1F dance
Ft«J1 lap
"^r burn
•rf^r descend
Ff^ lick
WT5 brush off
^T^f destroy
Ff^f compress
<^rT s win 12:
Ov
«tF mature
Ff^r remove
C^rt^ bend down
*f£ read
Ft^l phnm-h
I o
w
Ff^ stitch
•^•5 fall, read
Ff^; wish
Ff^T pull
n^T1 iiee
BENGALI GRAMMAE.
arrve
*fl get
^ ripen
be able
sT nourish
slip
ask
bury
worship
fill
drink
arrive
bury
rear up
? put forth
blossom
engage (in
any act)
enter
praise
Trf? beat
?r wash, purify
entreat
? send
?f^ bear fruit
f^<f turn round
wblow (as breath)
^••^?l bawl
^ burst, boil
<r-vT > \Vrli
;!;np;
~r<3 deceive
FT^I grumble
change
kill
venerate
bind
s» forsake
q describe
ST tell
ST sit
3" carry, blow, flow
survive
sound
bind
<t<[ hinder
like well
scent
return
, T spoil
investigate
strew
£ split
perforate
annihilate
bring forth
young
oppose
delay
mourn
delight
<T lay open
"J forget
comprehend
drown
weave, sow seed
sell
enclose
pace up and
down
bore
sit
perceive
plant, sow
overspread
worship
r be full
•ST abuse
break
fry
think
wet
ITS? enjoy
^T forget
f5 be ornamented
c^T roam
5T5F sink
^r<[ die
5T5T rub
beg
obey
measure
strike
be effaced
IRREGULAR VERBS.
CsrTs twist
fast write
OFt toast, warm
*n go
W| conceal
ON.
THS rot
*rt5 beg
o
e?n> plunder
•sr^t gratify
•/
(*rt< give battle
C=T4{ write
ipT^ give in charge
?^1 colour
(cTft plaster, smear
»l3ln converse
<TF compose
over
"^ endure
^ remain
C^rf^ tumble
•^Ttsf be in order
<P5P preserve
C^Tt^t obliterate
C^n? sprinkle, irri-
?T*t keep, put
J. 7 J.
C?rl~wl cause to covet
gate
(<rfrF ward off, pre-
"*rt*f curse
:*35T*f touch
vent
f*f«t learn
f be
C?Hf weep
"^ dry
^ fall back
(Tf*t plant
"^^ smell
^? seize
(Tfa be enraged
O
^ hear
^t^ bawl
«T take
C*lir sew
fr«tl pant
CTW cling, hang
r*Tti? grieve
ft? lose
fight c*tT^ pay (a debt), ^TT laugh
join, apply correct (a writing) f^0"^ injure
O/" Irregular Verbs.
52. There are but three verbs in Bengali which arc
irregular, and that only in a very slight degree. 1. The
verb fif^s " to give," makes W^ "they give," in the third
person plural of the present indefinite, and Of^ in the
verbal noun. 2. The verb ^rif^TCij " to come" takes ^"
after its first syllable ^rl in the indefinite tense, and in the
imperative, as ^|Q f^1 u I come," etc. ; and the simple pre-
terite may be formed by adding its terminations either
to ^rfTT or to ^rl, making either ^rff^Tt^r or ^rf^rT^T etc.
3. The verb *rf^"re " to go," in the perfect and pluperfect
tenses, formed, as we have already shown, from the con-
junctive past participle, changes *rrv?rl " having gone" into
54 BENGALI GBAMXAE.
as frf?rif^TT^ " I had gone," etc. But f^n and
are both correct when the conjunctive past participle is
used alone. The simple preterite and adverbial participle
take crt instead of *ri, as c^f^tsr " I went," (*fr=T " on being
gone."
«. In poetry the simple preterite and adverbial participle are
very often contracted in such words as have a semi-vowel for
their second consonant, as G3FsTt*r for ^f^TTsT, t^TfST for *jf<jsnt?r;
S N \ S
so Z$Z*T for ^T*T, etc. The expression *r| •ffff^TS "not to be
able" is sometimes contracted to •Tff^TS, and then conjugated
like a simple verb.
Passive Voice.
53. The passive voice may be formed in two different
ways in this language. The first is formed like our own,
with the passive participle of a transitive verb, and the
auxiliary ^iTs " to be," as sr« ^*-cs " to be killed." This
form is peculiar to verbs of Sanskrit origin, which on such
occasions borrow the regular passive participle of the latter
language, which commonly ends in "3 fa for the masculine
and neuter, and ~5\ td for the feminine. The second or
common Bengali mode is by conjugating the verbal noun
that ends in "^rj, such as ^<r| u the doing," with the auxili-
ary irf^TS " to go." When this last form is used, it im-
plies that the object attains the result of the action, that
the noun implies, which is just the equivalent of what the
other forms express; for when we say "he is killed by
the man," we infer that " he is gone to the state of death
by means of the man : " thus, ^ 3-Jft ^sT^T spit >R-<:cl<t 3F«rff
TtTi "5TR1 srtrr i u 0 mistress ! the good and bad qualities of
all yo to discovery by words, ?>., arc discovered by words."
PASSIVE VOICE. O-)
a. There arc two other ways of making a sort of passive voice,
but not so common as the preceding forms. One is by conju-
gating the conjunctive past participle of the causal verb with
$ » C 4 u to become :" thus, isrfsfsr "T«f fw$] ^fyyl >i<"v1 f^ra" ^f^ y1
^oci 1 " Having applied his mouth, and sucked, all the poison
irus extracted." The other, which is apparently a Hindi idiom,
is formed by simply using the transitive verb, and throwing the
agent, or what ought to be the nominative case, into the instru-
mental form: thus, ^JZjyCA vj?(iu «TT»~?rf^, "The man was
devoured by the tiger, or the tiger devoured the man/' In this
example, it will be seen that the instrumental (~5 is used for the
Hindi ne\ and in the latter tongue the expression would be,
" liugli tie tnanitsh ho khiiija luii"
h. The verb *tt^T5 " to eat," and metaphorically •• to suffer,"
is very frequently employed with a noun expressive of some
affliction to form the passive, as ^8«T *Tf^ {. A " to suffer pain,"
i.e., " to l>e pained."
c. When the verb *tT»<r5 "to get" is conjugated with an
infinitive or past participle, they may together be considered as
forming a sort of passive, as eft^t^ **% *ff^"T| "you icill be
destroyed by grief."
54. The first or indefinite tense of each of the two modes
of forming the passive is here given ; and all the other
tenses may be conjugated after the same analogy.
First or Sanskrit Form of the Passive Present Indefinite.
W$ ^q" I am made. "5T5 ^" we are made.
"ST5 ^~?T thou art made. ^s ^ you are made.
^~5 ^r he is made. '5T5 ^ they are made.
The other tenses are to he conjugated by subjoining the
remaining tenses of ^e (,-t '• to become," to "5T5 "made," or
any other passive participle.
56 BENGALI GRAMMAR.
Second or Idiomatic Form of the Present Indefinite.
^r\ *rf$" I am made. ^1 srt^" we are made.
^?1 irff"*T thou art made. ^?1 *rf« you are made.
\ */
^31 *rtir lie is made. wi ^rf^ they arc made.
a. The other tenses are to be formed by subjoining the re-
maining; tenses of srio (.3 "to go,'' to ^"^1 "the doing," or any
similar verbal noun. The two other forms of the passive, alluded
to in § 51, a, require no further notice here ; a reference to what
we have already stated will be sufficient to make them com-
pletely understood.
55. As the past and passive participles are not formed
according to the rules of Bengali grammar, but are bor-
rowed almost at pleasure from the Sanskrit, it has been
thought that a selection" of those in most common use may
be of service to the learner, and they are here accordingly
subjoined in alphabetical order.
Past and Passive Participles.
marked, superscribed wlrfPsgrg desirous
attached to "srf^ approached, come
not favourable, not ^rf^ obtained
propitious, unpropitious ^RiJlftt-s rejoiced, delighted
2f^r5 not prepared, taken ^i? pained, afflicted
by surprise ^rt^r^ attached, addicted
known, understood ^^Tffirs pleased, elated
bent down, prostrate ^« wished, desired
remained, left ^"^ said, spoken
not able, unable ^sfg" produced, arisen
not polished, clownish ^f%$ dejected, sad, vexed
t fatigued, laborious ^rg crazy, crazed
PASSIVE PARTICIPLES.
instructed, initiated
arrived, alighted
entered, seated
fitted to, proper
arrived, at hand
fs earned, acquired
made, done
re enraged, incensed
purchased, bought
angered, angry
fatigued
wearied, harassed
wounded, cut
pacified
(over-)thrown, frantic
wasted
composed, fashioned
gone, elapsed
sung, chaunted
seized, devoured
cut off, divided, severed
wt~5 born
rsT93fr>i3 asked, inquired of
fsrs conquered, vanquished
known
pleased
abandoned, forsaken
given
^ pained
spoiled, corrupted
seen
tied, begirt
« destroyed, perished
sleepy, drowsy
fixed in, appointed
gone out, issued
blown out
formed, constructed
conducted
cooked ; ripe
learned
fallen
overcome
manifested
blossomed ; elated
entered
pleased ; favourable
bound ; set
blown (as a flower),
expanded
renowned
split, rent, torn
§~& estranged, alienated
f?f*f« distinguished
spread out, detailed
surprised, astonished
known, comprehended
increased, enlarged
surrounded
5 pained
agitated
eaten
thoughtful, melancholy
divided, broken off
58
BENGALI GRAMMAR.
terrified, frightened
eaten
become
adorned (with jewels)
fallen, strayed
conceived
drunk
liberated
deprived of reason
dead
fought
deprived of, void
hindered, confined
ashamed
able
quieted, placid
polished, polite
dried, dry
tired
heard
joined together
pleased, delighted
given in charge to
agreed to, approved of
accomplished
brought forth
slept
*[« created
bathed
fixed, settled, placed
remained
assented to
remembered
$ destroyed, slain, killed
5 offered (as an oblation)
^f« pleased, elated
Of Impersonal Verbs.
50. The impersonal voice implies the natural and spon-
taneous occurrence of anything, or the necessity of the
performance of any act. It is either inflected like the
passive voice, but only in the third person, or it is made by
to be,
n
conjugating any infinitive with the verb ^9
the third person, as in the following example :
^*f|^T ^f?n/3 ;>T3" i "It will now be proper to put in force some
other stratagem." "When the ordinary operations of nature
are to be described, the neuter or passive verb is employed
as an impersonal ; but only in the third person. When
Hie moral necessity of an act is to be described, the infini-
tive of an act to be done is employed, as the gerund is
IMPERSONAL VERBS. 59
in Latin, being in general preceded by the noun or pro-
noun in the dative case, of the person who is influenced to
do the act ; and the auxiliary verb is always in the third
person : thus,
Indefinite.
ill 9 C4 sir it is necessary for me to go.
srffr-5 5^1 it is necessary for thcc to go.
it is necessary for him (or her) to go.
sir it is necessary for us to go.
it is necessary for you to go.
r it is necessary for them to go.
Preterite.
^T~5 ^t~*T it was necessary for me to go.
*rT»T3 ^R~«T it was necessary for thee to go.
it was necessary for him to go.
^^r it was necessary for us to go.
^-^r it was necessary for you to go.
CT it was necessary for them to go.
Pluperfect.
d it had been necessary for me to go.
it had been necessary for thee to go.
=T it had been necessary for him to go.
T it had been necessarv for us. etc.
"
T it had been necessary for you, etc.
ffT it had been necessary for them, etc.
60 BENGALI GRAMMAR.
Future.
it will be necessary for me to go.
it will be necessary for thee to go.
it will be necessary for him to go.
it will be necessary for us to go.
it will be necessary for you to go.
iU ke necessary for them to go.
57. The conjunctive past participle may be conjugated
with the auxiliary verb sttfes "to remain," throughout
every tense, to imply the probable occurrence of any event ;
and preceded by the sign sfft "if," of the conditional, it
will form a compound subjunctive mood : thus,
Indefinite.
die. *rf%n sflf^ we die.
thou dicst. srf^rl «fli? you die.
he dies. srf?r?n «T|T^«T they die.
The other tenses of this compound verb are conjugated
like any of the preceding examples : thus, *lz? C^r|" "$ft srcw
3fjr?re o$ c^tn yP<iyl «Tff<-<:<<t- 1 u The woman then thought
in her OAVH mind, ' the parrot will (most probably) be dead.'r'
58. The verb fwtt "to give" is very frequently used
after a conjunctive past participle, and seems to add
nothing to the sense of the simple verb in the same tense
thus, ^re <£& wtfr wfsf5? ^tfr? •yr^^rrf^t ^t~^ f^stf? ^T°(^rf^
^fwi fwc~s ^iasl ^%^ 1 " For this reason I will accompany
my husband (to heaven) ; let therefore an order be issued
to prepare the funeral pile," etc.
THE NEGATIVE VERB. 61
Indefinite.
ft I make. <*f<itl1 fir wo make.
fir*T thou makest. <-f<iyl (¥« or <&$ you make.
3f?nrl Of he makes. <T<iyl Of^ they make.
a. The otlicr tenses of this compound verb are to be conju-
gated with the remaining tenses of fjfTTS " to give," as flrCif^
" I am giving," fwf^ " I gave," ftfref^rfsj " I was giving,"
fifnf^ " I have given," Hryin^!^ " I had given," fTR " I will
give," fTTjrfsr " I did or would give."
It. When the verb Hf^T3 is conjugated with the conjunctive
past participle, the compound verb has very much the same force
as an English verb followed by the words " off," or " away," as
sis *i1 *T|3 "carry off," in the foregoing passage, and in tf y? \
in the following one : f%ir ^fsr "WTWT^ ?1~5rr? fW^ ^9 yl
1 " But do you, having carried me
aicay into the King's presence, try my medical skill."
c. The verb f^f^RTS "to fling," "cast," is sometimes conju-
gated with the conjunctive past participle of an active verb, to
express that an act has been done thoroughly, as <-f<!JI1 C^f^r
" I do (it) thoroughly." This auxiliary may be used throughout
all the tenses. Similar to the analogy of the foregoing examples,
many other verbs, such as ^TfefiTS " to keep," etc., may be em-
ployed as auxiliaries to conjugate the conjunctive past participles
of verbs.
Of the Negative Verb.
59. Any verb may be made to express negation by sub-
joining »r| "not" to it, as ^f^rfsr »n k'I did not make."
AVhen *rft", or •r|f^; instead of *n, is subjoined to the inde-
finite tense, it gives it the sense of any past tense, accord-
ing as the context requires : thus, *rfa^
62 BENGALI GRAMMAR.
1 " As long as this nosegay shall remain fresh, so
long you may be certain that I am pure ; in no way shall
I have fallen (from virtue)."
The negative -r is very frequently inflected in the inde-
finite tense like a verb, to express the same sense as
uto be," when followed by the negative ^ri : thus,
visit my lover, yet without your consent it is not proper
for me to go."
Indefinite.
rf^", or •rf^1 1 am not. •rfir, •t^'j or^rf^weare not.
or ^rf^FT thou art not. «r^ ^ you are not.
or •rtT^' he is not. SR »n^w they are not.
Of the Defective Auxiliary.
60. The present definite, the imperfect, the perfect, and
the pluperfect are conjugated, as we have seen, by means
of an inseparable auxiliary. This auxiliary is a corruption
of the Sanskrit root ^pr "to be," into ^t^, and is very
commonly used as a descriptive verb. There are but two
tenses to this auxiliary, the indefinite and the simple pre-
terite, each of which takes the terminations laid down for
those tenses in § 46.
Present Indefinite.
I am. ^rTf^1 we are.
thou art. ^T^" you are.
he is. ^rl7:^ they arc.
DEFECTIVE AUXILIARY. G3
Past Indefinite.
srfsr I was. ^rffwfsr wo wore.
^T thou wast. '--ail 1^*11 you were.
si he was. ^rff^dsH they were.
Following the same analogy, the particle ^ u truly,"
" indeed," is inflected, and agrees as a verb with the
agent. 4*& ^ift fenr5<rsr? ^fif«rtC"T ^|P til
% =r| i "I am now going to
my best beloved, and shall first try his understanding,
whether he is truly clever or not."
Indefinite.
?i^ I am indeed. ^ we are indeed.
thou art indeed. ^ you are indeed.
he is indeed. ^c^ they are indeed.
64
SECTION IY.
OF PARTICLES AND NUMERALS.
61. Under the term Particles we include Adverbs, Pre-
positions, Conjunctions, and Interjections, each of which
we shall here briefly describe in their order.
OF ADVERBS.
62. The adverbs form by far the most numerous class
of the particles. They may be conveniently arranged
under three heads, viz., first, those relating to time ; second,
those relating to place ; and lastly, those denoting quality ^
manner, etc.
G3. Adverbs of Time. — These are expressed by a word
denoting time, cither in the nominative or in the locative
case, but more frequently in the latter. It would be quite
superfluous here to give a long list of adverbs in general,
as they belong more to the Dictionary or Vocabulary than
to the Grammar. The following are of frequent occur-
rence :
to-day WtF, WffFt, C^Ffa, ^t£=T at
ill the meantime any time, some time
now ^It?"3- as long as, whilst
stcrday, to-morrow "St^ so long, that long
F( when? <F*Jv, ^«i(*r| ever "S^^lT^T at that time
when fiffr* daily, day after day
then fsr^r constantly
ADVKHHS or xmi:.
after, afterwards <iWT?, <ST5nrr<r, <tf*f?f*f , «tsi<Mii
^.^IZ?, 3t?*T?, ^~5£?, again
afterwards, hereafter ^j^t "src^r, TH^f before (in
rrsr, c »tc? early in tlie time or place).
morning <Tlf3 at night
n9, *nr* the day before *reTC*T, «2T~»Tr5 in the inorn-
yesterday, or the day after ing
to-morrow THr°^n:^T, c^^TTsr in the cven-
?^, ^5?^f two days ago, or ing
two days hence ?tw\. WrTfa always
V «/
«. Many adverbs of time arc formed by annexing ^F«| " a
moment,'7 Tf? and ^f^T etc., "time," or their locative forms ~. :«(,
< f c'<i , <-f<:^, etc., ^t^t5^ and C^Tl- Th° words ^q and ^T^T arc
atlixed to ^"5, ^T5, 3T5, ^5, ^T5 and TT^, and to several other
•words. ^£«i is added to the above words, as also to J), $$~, 4,
«£Tfl5, to some adjectives, and (in poetry) sometimes to C^T^^'
C^T^j C^T5 C^T^"? C^T «md C5^". TT? and TftT? is added to the above
words and to numerals. And <fr'fC5T is annexed to many nouns,
and also to the particles ^ST , "3T, f? or c^", and to the above words
except numerals. Sometimes the names of day, ni^ht, week,
month, year or any other portion of time, are, in their nomi-
native or locative form, added to the preceding words, to form
adverbs of time, in the same manner as in English, as ir-frr*
"to-day," C*T^-?lf3f ''that wight," J^-TRTT '-now," "at this
time/' etc.
b. The difference between ^q or ^q and Ff^T or ^tT^T in such
composition is, that ^»«| or ^>^«i signifies a time limited to that
portion of one d<ti/ or night which its preceding word may ex-
press ; whereas ^T5T or ^-TC^T conveys the idea of <i long time
(generally) beyond a day or night. The following examples will
illustrate what we have just stated : ^l-^FCT ••' now,'' .^-•^q •• in-
stantly," "at this moment," J)s-^Jl "by this time," -till now,"
"now," "at or by this (long) time," ^T5-^«l "so long,"
GO BENGALI GKAMMAR.
qsrs-*FCT " by that time," ^5-^«l " how long ?" ^5-^«l " at or by
what time ?" *T5-^«1 " as long as," TTS-^q " by which time," ^5-
^M! " so long," ^5-^E«l " by that time," (Tr^-^»c«l " the moment
when," C^-^SI " immediately," " instantly." (fl^ClCT " at this
time," «^-^TC5T " at that time," J)^5-<Ft^ " so long (time)," ^-^tSsT
" after so long a time," ^T3-^t^ " so long," <3r5-3Ft£5T " by that
(long) time," ^5-^TT^ "how long?" ^5-^1Z«T "by or after what
long time ?" *F5-3rr*T " as long as," *H5-^tC«T " at or by whatever
(long) time," C^r-^t^T, OT^"-^t^T "at which time," "when,"
(Tr^-^t^T "at that time," Tnrl-^TsT, 7IT-^t=T, f^-Wfttf "always,"
" at all times," fF?-<FfsT "long time," " ever," £Tt38-Tfr*T "m tne
morning or morning-time," "3TWJ-^1Z«T, '7rHl0-^lTcT "in the even-
ing or evening-time." ^-TT^j^^-TUr " this time or year," C*T-TT?
C^T-Tt?, ^-Tf? "that time or year." c3^"-"^!?, ^-Tf? "that very
time or year." ^-Tf?, ':54-Tf?, ^T5-Tt? "so often," "so many
times," ^5-^T? "how many times?" "how often?" ^F5-Tt? "as
many times as," " as often as," ^r^-^t? " so many times." >£[$-
?t? " once," ^•-<rf?r " twice," and so on.
r. The difference in signification between the nominative form
of a name of time and the locative form of the same when com-
pounded, in the adverbial sense, with another word, is the same
as in English, as fsfsr (T ^gfsj f^r Tf? *n? Vt'£^ " he has three
times taken that medicine." f~sfr c"^ ^^"fk f^ TlT<r ^n^ylT^^
" he has taken that (quantity of) medicine in f/irce times"
(I, ^t^fr is an adjective in Sanskrit, but in Bengali it is gener-
ally used in composition with the verbal nouns in «j or »r. with
Sanskrit verbal nouns, with 3^ and *r<t, and sometimes (though
inelegantly) with c^T? C"3^^ •> an(^ ^? and is taken in the meaning
of 3TC«Tj the locative of ^T "time." The word (Wl. in the
locative or adverbial sense, is used after the genitive form of the
words f»T<T, "5TWT1 or yft^. ?tf^ or <rt3, and of the gerunds in
*n, and after tlic words ^, 4, fetw. C5l?> ^TWJl, fet^T or
r^T^T, ^r^t^T, ^f? (from ^^^j, j), <?, ^-5, ^BT5, 7T5, C^, ^T,
and <t"5. When used alone or preceded by one of the last ten
ADVKUliS OF I'LACK. 07
words, it moans a "day time;" and in all other instances it gives
the idea of that time which may be specified by its preceding
word, as f»T?r-(Wi, fwlT?<r-C^n "early in the morning," <Jt'Ci<l-
(T5T| uin or during the night time," f^Tt^-C^n, >K-|?1-CTsTl "in
the morning," ^nr-CWl, "at noon," jps-CWl "by this time (of
the day)," jre-c^cfl, ^T5-C^?rl, r53-C?^rl "so long (time of the
day)," vffs-cwl " by that time," 7T5-(^«r| " as long as," c^T^-C^T|
"at which of the two parts of the day (i.e. forenoon or after-
noon)?" 3F5-CWI "how long (of the day) ?" <Ffa is sometimes
used after ^s«i, and after sj[^, Ff«J, -2t^?r, f^r, *TST3T, TfT and
^^T? generally preceded by a numeral : ^1-^fsT ^Tfa " stay for a
short time."
G4. Adverbs of Place. — These, like adverbs of time, are
expressed by any word denoting locality, generally in the
locative case, but sometimes in the nominative form. The
following list will serve as an example : viz.
here Tff^Z? without
r there (in sight) f^lw, ^^FtTS behind
there ^srcif before
where ? ^5, ^<^? above
whence ? ^tTF down, below
where ^r? afar off
thence TI^C^I before
(>-.
on all four sides ^rpsFfre in the presence of
r«i<:<l within C^^l , (^ hither
a. The word ^"t<H sthani' or ^ tni are also used to form ad-
verbs of place, as c sthiine, "here," "in this place;" o tithiim.',
" there," " in that place " (when in sight) -Je stliunc, "wherever,"
"in what place" (relatively); k<m xtltum', '•where?" "in what
place?" (interrogatively); kottu st/idnc, "in any place," •• any-
68 BENGALI GRAMMAR.
where ;" >i«M "' everywhere," ^r^jf " in or to another place." A
number of adverbs of time and place admit of a possessive case,
and also of an ablative case, as ^"§7^t? " of to-day," ^^fl^RTf? " of
this place," fe^^re " from afar."
65. Adverbs of Manner or Quality.
very (^ so
unexpectedly r^, cfrTK providentially
J. •/ ' */
thus, in this way <5t?"I35t?f mutually
as ^f?"**!?! successively, one after
«/ *
so, in the same way another
how ? f*r?*f , f«f?^ to no purpose
•F a little ?7«f, <[«H in vain
much *T«I^ separately
by decrees fsrsTJl falsely
«/ */
successively ?r«7 truly
=T well C^lT, ^«t silently
:«i finely
>£TfTr almost ^u&f^, ^t^Q quickly
slowly, badly ^3^t° consequently, of course
why ?
a. The words snrs, ?n:*f, ^53 and «T| arc added to form adverbs
of manner, as Jjsrs " : thus," C^t^ ^^ "in anyway or manner,"
^R^lir^r "powerfully," TT"i^5S "diligently," JTZQ] "in all respects."
• ' * > X
«" is an emphatic particl(>, as c^T^T^*^" "in that very place,"
(>UIC-i:5l~ "' in that very manner." Adverbs formed from adjec-
tives especially append <t£^t or ^3 to them, as -i^*H<t '-beautiful,"
^C^^W^^r "beautifully," literally, "in a beautiful manner."
l>. The words ending1 in Ws and SR may have the adverbial
afh'x ^f%TTl added to them, as c^R-^f?"?Tl " how?" " in what man-
ner?" literally "in what manner havinji; acted." The words
ADVERBS OF MANNER, ETC. CO
ending in *R are more common than those in 5T5. The adverl>s
beginning witli f% or ($ do not always convey the idea of inter-
rogation. When in a sentence, not interrogative, (<$1H is doubled
and uttered in a suppressed tone, it, though indirectly, means
" not good," as <s\Ty\ «-iH^. C^T5* $£*% " this one seems not to bo
good" The t\vo \vords c^fSR and (AJM together are taken for an
adjective signifying " common," " vulgar," as ("*T <£& W»T (*J4H-
(^x»* (cfl^ snr " he is not a common or every-day person." Some
adverbs are formed by adding to some substantives the word
<4>GV , which in this case is sometimes translated by the preposi-
tion " by or according to," and sometimes by " ly," as in the
above examples.
c. Besides what we have stated, there arc several other ways
of forming adverbs of manner, of which the following are com-
mon. 1. By adding <£t*T3F or <2~??TT£ *° substantives, as
"humility," f<Hil-*N^? '-1)111111)1}';" f[W\^ '-respect,"
^CfTgTT^ " respectfully." 2. By adding 3T£*f (the locative of 3f*f
'•'manner") to adjectives and adjective pronouns, as sp?t '-'bad,"
sr7^-?^ "badly;" 4 "this," Ji-?^*f "in this manner," "so."
Sometimes after adjectives and adjective pronouns 3\*t is used as
?fTC*t ; with this difference, however, that when ?f^f is annexed to
an adjective, the compound word is generally an adverb, and
when annexed to an adjective pronoun, it (?fi*f) serves rather an
adjectival termination, as ^T^T? (?" f^lT ^TflT^' ^f^'T^ i "FT5T-?i?T
(i.e. ^»T^T ^^j Ff^flTS ^rt^? " ^Vhatever business he has, therein
he is able to proceed in an excellent manner,'' <i)-?i^f iJt^ yj
" such a man." Sometimes £K-TC<1 and i£T^T^ are used instead
of ^^t and ^i^f after the words j). $. (7\. (Tf. f%. c-t-«J»J. C^T^ and
CF(w, as ^rffir OTSffi^r f^-^T^lT? or f^-^^f TTTtTS *rrf? " how
can I go there ?" ^^f . <^¥^ and •^Tp'ST? in most instances,
and ^f^TTt in some, correspond with the English adverbial ter-
mination ly, as '5T7it'^-?i^?>f " beautiful///," fa^iT ^T^% or <y^i7r?
" huml)///," sr^-^f<jin "bad/y." When ^^"^ is compounded with
verbal nouns in w or <i, or with any other Sanskrit verbal noun,
70 BENGALI GRAMMAR.
then the compound words are commonly taken in the same sense
as the conjunctive participle of the respective verbs : for example,
is equivalent to sfrR 3Ff?T?Tl "having gone/' TP^
4^ <?r<iyl " having collected," ^^ ^^ = ^Hl
" having been or become."
(/. Many of the adverbs are repeated twice, partly to add the
idea of plurality to their meaning, and partly to convey a different
signification. In repeating an adverb composed of an adjective
pronoun and ?u:*t, <£t^t<r? or a like word, only the principal word
(i.e. the first member of it) is doubled, as <f^ ?n:^f "in this man-
ner," <jj^" <£& ^z^i " iu these various ways." The other adverbs
ending in ?iE*f , etc. arc not found in their duplicated forms. Of
the adverbs in ^-f^rl, only that which is formed by prefixing
WIH, (3SR or t£|5R to ^fVlHj i* doubled by repeating the first
member, as (TrsK-csr^R-^f^ri. The adverbs formed by affixing
<3§ ($T) or «^w are not used in their duplicated form. The
Persian word ^tSTfiaf " a thousand," is often idiomatically used as
an adverb signifying " in the utmost degree, or a great many
times." But it is to be observed that ^"f^TtlT is used in the first
clause of a sentence, the next clause of which is commenced
with \5T. " yet," and generally ended in a negative verb, as
»r| 1 "Teach a heron a thousand (i.e., ever so many)
times, yet he will not repeat like a parrot. Hide an evil action
ever so much, still it will not remain concealed."
OF PREPOSITIONS.
GO. The part of speech which we call a preposition does
not, strictly speaking, exist in the Bengali language. It
is true there are several prefixes corresponding to the pre-
positions of the Greek and Latin, but then they are all
purely Sanskrit, and used in composition with other words,
but not prefixed separately to substantives and pronouns,
PREPOSITIONS. 7 1
and governing certain cases, as in the two former tongues ;
hence we may call them inseparable prepositions. They are
chiefly used in composition with simple verbs, verbal and
some other nouns, to form the compound or derivative
words which constitute the hulk of the Sanskrit language,
and consequently of those also of which Sanskrit is tin 5
parent. The words thus compounded sometimes retain the
meaning of the original, or more frequently have the sense
of their component elements, but in many instances they
express significations which widely depart from those
which they might be expected from their composition to
convey. The full explanation of them is the province of a
Dictionary or Vocabulary. All that can be attempted here
is to hint briefly: 1. The principal purport of each prepo-
sition, or the idea which it most frequently gives or adds
to the signification of the word to which it is prefixed.
2. The equivalents by which it is usually translated into
English and the classical languages. 3. Its exemplifica-
tions by words compounded of one or more of these prepo-
sitions, and of frequent occurrence in Bengali, as in the
following alphabetical list.
beyond, excess, as ^ Hi -$»'*! " transgression," ^rfjf^s* or
«T3" " superabounding," " excessive."
over, possession, as wfwf? "possession," ^rf*f*f, ^rfV^tsi
/ L / J.
"a king or ruler," ''srfo'fl-s "come at," "known," "ac-
quired."
97 after, sequence, imitation, as ^t(E><l " a follower." wg~^Tf1"
"an imitator," ^t^tf "repentance," ^^^jfi "permis-
sion."
or w^o within, ccntricity, as ^5r^s^«i "the heart,"
•the heart-searcher," ^-^<j«f "a relative."
••
72 BENGAL! GRAMMAR.
taldny away, privation, badness, as ^^f?t< " defect,"
" sin," ^*T?t^ " detraction," " accusation," ^offit^ " dis-
grace." This preposition is identified with the Greek
O, the Latin and German ab, and the English off.
to, addition, exceeding, as ^rfsTF " moreover," (literally
"and in addition"), 'srfcfsrR "a covering,"
" covered with armour."
towards, tendency to, superiority in place, etc., as
approach to," ^rfVgrst "facing," ^q-f^Tf^ "self-esteem,
pride."
doivn, degradation; Latin, de, dis, ex, as ^Wl "deteri-
orated," "bad," ^5r^5t<r "incarnation" (literally "coming
down"), ^<<;s=i1 " disrespect."
/ / ^ -I-
unto, extent, limit, as ^srt? u a receiver," ^K-M4! " at-
tracting," ^srT^nra "unto or as far as the sea." The
Greek grammarians have something similar, called the
a intensivum.
iip, elevation, excellence, as ^*tf% " production," ^^^x
" excellent," ^fs " elevation," ^Tt?t " industiy."
near, secondary state, hence inferiority, as ^fft^f " a
small island," ^5t^r4 " a bye- way," %Wfs " a paramour."
It is identified with the Greek OTTO, and the Latin sub.
r hard, difficult, deterioration, as fc^lbU " wicked," ^i*t
"trouble," ^fsr "hardly passable," ^^ "hard to be
done." It is identified with the Greek ou£, the Latin
(It's, and the Gaelic do. ~si duh, vf dusk, ^ dus/i, ^f[
dm, are forms which it must assume according to the
consonant with which the word to which it is prefixed
may begin, as we shall hereafter explain.
down, cntirc-ne.^, as f^rts "a. fall," "death," fsraT?6!
"entire prohibition," firju "ceased," fsiftf "entirely
engaged in."
PREPOSITIONS. I o
ji out, freedom, as fa<it<M? "without form," frsTT5 "gone
out," frvfa " faultless," frfaFS " thoughtless."
lack, re-action, as "^fir^ " opposing power," <T<rT^nr
" defeat," *l<H<£i "return," *Hrr*r*f "advice," " caution."
It is identified with the Greek trapa..
round, completeness, as <ff?r^<i "quite full," *ff?rfa " cir-
cumference," *ff?T£ff¥u tired out," " completely wearied."
It is identified with the Greek Trzpi.
forth, progression, as £f^t*T "display," <±T^T^ "march,"
£fTf*f " majesty," «2T«irr " affection," " acquaintance." It
is identified Avith the Greek Trpo, the Latin pro and prae,
and the English for or fore.
re, reiteration, as ^rf^Sffr "echo," ^HiTS? "reply,"
a reflection," or "image," £ff5^5T "retribution."
in, un, mis, vicissitude, as foy "barter," f^^fw "misfor-
tune," ft^5 "undone," "altered," f?*f*nnr "inversion."
or TT° ivith, conjunction, as "sr0^ " association," -5T0(^rt^f
"union," •yr^T^ "offspring," 7p3s>tf% "wealth." It is
identified with the Greek <rw and the Latin cum or con.
well, excellence, as -s^Hi "well disposed," ^d w "easily
obtained, ^*tJTf% " fame," " good report," "^RtFT? " good
news." It is identified with the Greek eu and the
Gaelic so.
a. The following prefixes, viz.. ^ a} ^ kn, "^ su, and f^r| bind,
though not strictly prepositions of the same kind as the preced-
ing, may, for the sake of reference, be here inserted as well as
anywhere else. ^T is equivalent to the English negative not, or
to the particles in, nn, r//,v, and fr.v.v, and sometimes to u-itnout
and not, as ^fabt? '• ///justice," ^r?T«rt«f " ?u?just," ^>i ys; •• r//,v-
honour," ^^y^ir^ " child/(v,v," ^TrT? " without substance,'' ^wg
" not destroyed/' " not spoiled." Prefixed to a word, which is
the name of anything, it will convey the sense of deprivation, a<
74 BENGALI GRAMMAR.
"not (having) a stain," "without stain." Added to an
epithet, it marks deterioration, as ^^P< " not a poet," " a bad
poet." Put before any noun which implies the result of an
action, it reverses the sense, as ^<-«1*R1 "not a contrivance,"
" improper contrivance." It is identified with the Greek a
alpha, privitivum. 'SR'W an : the same as the last, but only pre-
fixed to words beginning with a vowel, to prevent the hiatus in
sound attending the concurrence of two vowels, as ^r»rf*K5 " not
arrived," from ^rf?f^5 " arrived." This form is identified with
the Greek av, the Latin in, and the English un.
The word 3? stands opposite to ^, as TS£$,*t "beautiful,"
" good-looking," ^W5^ " ugly," " bad-looking." Placed before
substantives or after adverbs, ^ and ^ stand as adjectives, as
•^TJJJ- « a good action," ?F^5T " a bad action," f^fsr ^fs ^ " he
is verv good," ff^ ^5 3? " he is very bad." "^r and 3? are some-
• ~ • (X • ^ 6-
times used in the absolute manner, having hardly anything
understood after them, as ^t^t? ^f% "^, ^ITt? $T>\ 3?« ^ is
variously modified before different words : it becomes ^W (or ^5)
in composition as the first member with a word beginning
with a vowel or with 3«( " a chariot," as WiTf? " ill-shaped,"
(^ -f <3p«t) = ^pf^ « a bad horse," 3Fflfh^f«( " a bad medicine,"
<-<jq<l8t "a bad •jst." It is optionally changed into ^| before ^f«t
" a path," and ^(^ " a man," as <F*f«T or <3Ft*f«i: " a bad road,"
^^C^T or ^t<^^ " a mean worthless man," " a coward."
The prefix TT so, is a contraction of the Sanskrit particle TT^
" with," and seems to contrast very well with the preceding ^ a.
Prefixed to a noun, it will imply either possession or association,
as TT^fa "with life," "alive." It often governs the instrumental
case, as Tf^ff^f^ "with a family," "accompanied by a family;"
or the word it is joined to may take the letter ^ after it, which
is equivalent to the genitive case, as "Vijft^ " with a wife." The
word f^ is elegantly used only after the nominative form of a
Sanskrit word, as fsfr iffRTf? T^
" lie, along \vith his family, has made a pilgrimage to the
PREPOSITIONS. / 0
(shrine of) Pumsliottarna," i.e., "Vishnu." ^T is used instead of
7T3", but always as the first member of a compound, as f%ft Tf-
^Ttflf
I). The \vord ftwl hind, " without," appears to be a preposi-
tion in our sense of the term, and generally governs the third or
instrumental case : thus, *rfif lift ft^T| *t?f vj"*TC 4 C^t5* 3PJT ^?
" If you shall undertake any enterprise without advice. The par-
ticles £ffs and ^>«T<T are also, not unfrcquently, used as postposi-
tions, like those enumerated in § OS, and govern the genitive case,
as may be seen in the following examples : fsft "^rf^rfa <±ff% or
" he (is) very kind to me," '^(T*Jt<l <£tf^5 or
" he bears a great affection towards me," (
"he ran against me," f^fsr ^TSTfil fepS or
" he is angry with or enraged at me," f^fsr
or ^<>f<f T^ ^ff« " he (is) much pleased ivith me,"
or £ffs ^^ftTf 1^ ?tf<I^ " look upon him with kindness."
67. Let us now adduce a few examples in illustration of
the mode in which the preceding particles are applied.
The student will bear in mind that they are used only
with Sanskrit verbal nouns, etc. ; and even then they are
not indiscriminately used with every noun, etc., from the
latter language. Practice and the use of the dictionary
can alone enable the learner to form correct ideas on this
point.
a. The word srfa " honour," " measure," is compounded with
several prepositions. Example : £T3Tf«l " a proof," isr^fsrfa " dis-
honour," vtMjH " honour," ^j^nt^ " a guess," " an inference,"
fsrerH " a making," " creating," f<wH " a chariot," (5lf^rf«l " a
measure," -^Ps^H " self-honour," " tenaciousness of honour/'
a weighing," etc.
b. The particles £f, ^r*f, ^°, ft, ^ff^, ^£ff^, ^*f, ft, ft^, and
are used in composition with sff? '• taking," a verbal noun
76 BENGALI GRAMMAR.
from the root ^f " take/' and cause it to convey various signifi-
cations, as <2T$>T<[ " a beating-/' ^r*fs~f? " a taking- away by force
or unfair means/' 7T°ft? " a killing," f^t? " a walking for
amusement," " a pastime," ^ff^T^ " a confutation," " a repulse,"
<±rf5^r? " a taking back," ( tffs + ^Tl + ^T?) = ^r«rf^T? " a re-
sumption," ^j*n^T<r " a present to a superior," " a complimentary
gift," fs^t? "frost," "dew," ^rf^T? "food," "a meal," (*PT +
'3T| -f ^T<r) = Trsrf^Hr " aggregation," " a collection," (: an assem-
blage," (f^ + ^Tl + ^t?) =fsr?T^t? "without food."
c. The particles £f, TT°, ^r^, ^*f, ^f, ft, fr, fsr^, ^fis, ^,
^TT, "^fk, «tf^j *tf^3 and ^Tl are used in composition with several
verbal nouns from the root ?? "do," viz., ^f?T, ^T4! "a doing,"
^F§, faplTi " an action," ^t?^, ?rt?t or Wl " a doer," ft^ " a
hymn;" and the compound words and their principal significa-
tions are ^T^Tt<T, " an imitation," 7{0"^t? " consecration," " puri-
fication," "initiation," ^"^r^T<T "'an injury," "harm," ^f^t<f "a
benefaction," fwf<[ " a change," " a disease," " the change which
takes place in a person when dying." (fsr<r 4-^4. ^t?)
"without form," ^fwf<[ "possession," "dominion."
"a returning of an action," "a remedy," ^TtTf<r "a form."
i*t<F£«i "a section of a book," "a prologue," "manner;" -*( ^ <• <i«t
" an imitation," ^f^?^ " anything superadded to perfect a
thing," "a supplemental oblation," (»r^ -j- ^rj + ^TR) = f^T^?4!
" certainty." '^sjfw^q " the act of possessing," " the locative
case of a noun." (&§ 4- fw$] ] = ^f^n «a bad action," nfjr>i]1
\ S b-v
" a good action." ^ST^fs " original and unformed matter," " na-
ture," " disposition," " a crude noun or verb before it has taken
any inflection," ^T^f^ " form," " shape," ft^f^ " a change from
the natural state," "transformation," "a bad shape."
m^sl " an injurer," "injurious," ^W?<
"'a benefactor." ^f^nft '"' :i i)ossessor/' "one who has
a riht to a thin." TT° + ^tlR = >i *?( Q^ " a hmn."
08. In the Bengali language, strictly speaking, there
POSTPOSITIONS.
does not exist any simple preposition such as our " to,"
"for," "by," "with," etc. Such relations as the pre-
ceding are expressed in Bengali by terminations or cases,
as we have already seen. Such expressions as our "be-
fore," "behind," "above," "beneath," etc., arc expressed
by substantives which we may call diptotcs, because em-
ployed only in two cases ; or we may call them postposi-
tions, because they always follow the words they govern,
which are put in the genitive case. They are mostly
of Sanskrit origin, and are used chiefly in the locative
case, and sometimes in the nominative. "When they have
not a genitive case under government, they arc understood
to be in a state of composition with the substantive which
precedes them. The following is an alphabetical list of
the more ordinary postpositions.
in front, before
exceeding, beyond
l in conformity
*/
on account, for the sake
st in front, before
<l above, upon
^or^1z^7$attheside,near
w, ^Ft?^, 3F3J, wz^J be-
cause, on account, for
or Mf^3 in the place, from
at the bottom, beneath
similar, like
a side (of the horizon)
a side (of the horizon)
, WTr<[ at the door, by
means
frw, fwCT? at the side, in
the vicinity, near
on account, for.
at the bottom, below
after
^ up to, as far as
, *TT*t at the side, near
in the rear, behind
to, for, towards
sT in exchange for, instead
f%r<r on the outside,
without
f«-6<:<t on the inside,
within
in the manner, conform-
ably
78 BENGALI GRAMMAR.
in the midst, in ^Ffr^f in the vicinity, near
exactly on, at the instant *P3[*J, ^Parz*! before the face,
in company, with in the presence, opposite
in the vicinity, near nf^-i accompanied, along with
at the time ^"ft^ in the place, from
, ^wtZ^ like, equal
CONJUNCTIONS.
C9. Conjunctions in Bengali differ not in their nature
and use from those of our own language. I divide them
here into the two well-known classes of copulative and
disjunctive, with this protest, however, that a disjunctive
conjunction sounds to my ear marvellously like a contradic-
tion in terms. Perhaps the term oppositive or adversative
conjunction would be the more appropriate ; but we need
not waste time upon this, as the reader no doubt knows
the import of the word, which is simply this, that the dis-
junctive conjunction, while it connects the clauses of a
sentence, at the same time disjoins their meaning. The
following list contains the more ordinary conjunctions of
both classes.
,
"
if,"
K3
Copulative Conjunctions. — -s<°, ^ "and," "both,'
"moreover," TJP "rather," ^T5-£R "therefore," s
/ / /
•sra "then," T£, csi "then," "consequently," ^r*[
• / • / • * ^- O *
"namely," "even," *r«n "as for example," Wt? "also,"
TtrHrs "thereby," "consequently," C% "that," C*R "in
order that,'1 C<-*H1, Wte i<? "because," C^^T^ "as," (^7iT
/ <x '
" so," ^5T5 r?T " so that," <4~5fre/ or ^"i^f^^/ " on this account,"
/ / /
"hence," ^•JW^^T? "after this," ^3T?£'4 "for wliich reason,"
f \ t
sttf^Bi " l)esides this," " besides."
CONJUNCTIONS.
Disjunctive Conjunctions. — foir "but," fa, T|,
"whether," "cither," "or," wfrf,
"although," wrfrt "yet," "nevertheless," *rs, srpn (for
T|, Wf) "if not," "then," "otherwise," Trfif *1 "if not,"
"unless," Wfrf, WF, ^arrfn, ^3fF, ^T, "yet," "never-
theless."
a. The conjunction «, like the Latin 6Y, i.s elegantly employed
to express our word " both," as well as its consequent "and:"
thus *i £TtT5 ^2 7TWJT3 " both morning and evening," et mane et
vespere. In some instances the *? thus repeated gives the sense
of "both" only, and with a negative they are equivalent to our
words '-neither" and "nor," as may be seen in the following
examples : <rfa-^G (*fcT *2Tfa-^ (*fcT " Ram and Shyam both arc
gone," J)-« spff, *?->« srsjf "both of them (arc) bad," ^fsr-<? C^f^T,
"he came just after or the moment after you went."
r 'arfsj'-^ sp^ snr "neither Ram is bad nor Shyam,"
*J1$ < -Tlj flf^-^ ^irii6<»< »r| "neither I shall go nor he
will come."
1). In Bengali there is no word corresponding with the English
"whether;" but when f% is placed before one noun, and again
before another noun signifying a different thing, then the first f%
is translated by "whether," and the second by "or," as f% fr^
f^ \[>l!ilH " -whether Hindu or Musalman.
c. When f% »r| is used in the second member of a sentence, it
is generally translatable by " whether or not," as ^T^~fi^ f&SaT^n
3? f*f*Tf£=r ^TC4»' f<£ ^1 " ask him u'hether he will go there or
not,'1'' 3~?T f^fsf »nr ^t? »t^ sJtC^ "either he or his brother will
go." When »rj or »nr is used before one noun, and again before
another signifying a different thing, then the first -fl or sr?r con-
veys the signification of "neither," and the second of "nor," as
•T| Ut=T srj sp'T or ^T?r r«t=T •T? SRt "' neither good nor bad." But
here this is also to be borne in mind, that ?~?r signifies " either"
only when it is followed by •*'$. And sqr or »rl conveys the idea
80 BENGALI GRAMMAR.
of "neither" only when followed by srsr or sr|, and of "nor"
when preceded by WTT or «r| respectively, as in the above examples.
d. irj. and (^1 are often mere expletives, and confined chiefly
to conversation, as \5i;f% ? " what then ? " ^rffsr TrT^" C^l or
C5\ ^Tf^" "then I will go (and see what that will do)," ^fsr
CS\ flrf*l •Ti^" " I did not see a single person." The particle (\5l,
as we shall hereafter point out, is elegantly used in an idiomatic
sense, like the French done.
INTERJECTIONS.
TO. The interjections most commonly used before the
vocative case are, c^, C^l, f«1, (?, C«r|, (T>, fe, si's?, and c^T?
" 0 !" The first three are applied mostly to superiors, c?
to equals, c^r) to an inferior woman, c^" to a young woman,
fe to a child, and the last two to common people. When
the person addressed is at a distance, ^n, ^, or ^, is pre-
fixed to the above interjections, as ^?c^ ^r^ f^Tss " 0
Heavenly Father!" ^c$\ ^Ts\ "0 mother!" When the
person is present, the interjection is often put after the
noun, as <rW c*t1 " 0 father !"
«. Beside the above there are other interjections used to
express different emotions of mind, as — Of distress and culling
for relief — ^*rj, Tft?, TtC^tl " O mother ! " * T|T|, Tf*ft?, TtTlT?
«O father!" arrf^^. "save! save!" ftTT^. "alas! alas!" Of
pain — 1"8 , ^3 " oh ! " Of pity — ^rt^l or ^§ " alas ! " Of ,wr-
prise or encouragement — TfoTfg "surprising!" "well done!"
Of joy and admiration — ;Tfir ^fir "hurrah!" TlT! Tt?" Tf^"!
\ N V
<Tt^1 TT^"1 ! Tf^1 Tf^1 Tf^1 ! ^TlTl"5 ^t?T ! (Hindi, /.-//a
« /) " O admirable ! " " wonderful ! " " surprising ! " q$j \ %$}
brave ! " " huzza ! " "bravo ! " ^IT^I C^t? Tt^l, Tt*f , or ^T^. Of
OF EXPLETIVE PARTICLES. 81
vexation — '-*rf$ ! ^8 ! jfrsi ?t^ ! "confound it!: Of surprise
or astonishment — ^sr| ! "() mother!" ^^T) (~ST fa ! "O mother,
what is this ! " etc. ^W\ <3 fa ! f^fa ! sr^Tf^f ! fa ^srfF&fj
"amazing!" Of sudden recollection — <j ! $(5~\ ! " hy-t he-
bye!" Of driving out — •££ ! '%$ *%$ \ "away with!" JHS r!
•*Tl "§3T ^ ! " begone ! " Of contempt or aversion — f^i ! T?T|8 !
or f^ f^ ! " fy, fy ! "
b. In common conversation the interjections are used after
verbs, or in connection with them, as ~zfy (^r ~$~\ «r) c»r| ? or (?£•*
Cft\ ^«T »ri ? "why don't you speak ?" ^<r (T •• act," "^rf ^ •• speak."
Gffa or (Jrftt is added to verbs to call attention., as CfrfsJ or
"see!" "now then!"
OF EXPLETIVE PARTICLES.
71. The following words arc often employed in a familiar
way in a sentence ; but practice alone can give any certain
rule for their correct application. — T?1 Avhen subjoined to a
word erives the idea of exactness or limitation, as J)W| sff?r
O /
"a single purse." — te gives the idea of diininutiveness, as
4^> ^^ " the smallest mouse." — c*ttT>1 " altogether," when
prefixed, conveys the idea of indefinite number or quan-
tity.— sTfa " a piece," when subjoined to a habitation or
*/ •'
instrument, adds nothing to the original force of the word,
as &ft «TR ^fft '' a house." — *rffr " a piece," cives the idea
N * j. / C-/
of parts, or members of a whole bodv, as "5"9~ «TTf^ ^fw "the
i i/ /
two feet." — <nf^ and Ffa "a little," subjoined to any-
thing divisible into minute parts, implies u some," as
feTi^fa "some water." — ^^1, ^fa, ^f%^. ^^, "a heap,"
(X \ ' d*n '
u set," etc., are often prefixed to plural nouns, and seem
to convey little more than the idea that the number was
indefinite, as 3F53F ^f% ^P^J^ "some letters. — ^"^T? "some,"
is added to divisible things, as Ff^sT t3^t? "some rice,"
n
82
BENGALI GRAMMAR.
"some straw." — ^ is an expletive frequently added
to words of one syllable, as ^rt<n5 "further." — c§\ "in-
deed," "in fact," "truly," gives emphasis to any asser-
tion, and thereby conveys the idea of doubt or hesitation
to the remaining complement of the sentence, which is
commonly understood, as
i "I didn't do
it indeed (but some one else may have done it)." Occa-
sionally it is found subjoined to the second person of the
imperative, precisely like the French done, as <<nc^1 " tell,"
or " speak," or " pray speak," dites done. — frrel is added
in familiar conversation to the indefinite tense, in a nega-
tive way, as <«rffsr ^frfaw-1 " I have not done it."
OF THE NUMERALS.
72. The following columns contain the Bengali cardinal
numbers, and the figures by which they are represented ;
and as the Sanskrit cardinal and ordinal numbers are fre-
quently met with, they arc likewise given.
FIGURES.
CARDINAL NUMBERS.
ORDER.
ORDINAL NUMBERS.
BENGALI. SANSKRIT.
SANSKRIT.
1
^
V
1st
*TO
2
^
fir
2nd
fipft?
3
\
fai
3rd
^ftir
4 8 Fff?
F^
N
4th
^5^
P* ^
^fsp
5th
^^^T
6
5, ^ 5PET
6th
¥^
7 i ffts
TT^
7th
TT^ST
8 V ^5T|T?
^r^
8th
^5T%^"
9 ?5> •T5T ! "T^
9th
5J^T
NUMERALS.
•5.8
FIGURES.
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
9n
5(8
Vi
CARDINAL NUMBERS.
ov
10th
11 til
12th
13th
14th
15th
16th
17th
18th
19th
20th
21st
22nd
23rd
24th
25th
26th
27th
28th
29th
30th
31st
32nd
33rd
34th
35th
36th
37th
38th
ORDINAL NUMBERS.
KANSK HIT.
84
BENGALI GRAMMAE.
CARDINAL NUMBERS.
39
40
41
42
43
44
45
46
47
48
49
50
51
52
56
57
58
59
GO
61
G2
63
64
G5
GG
67
83
8d
8V
8*
a\D
d3
dV
dJs
ORDER,
ORDINAL NUMBERS.
39th
40th
41st
42nd
43rd
44th
45th
46th
47th
48th
49th
50th
51st
52nd
53rd
54th
55th
56th
57th
58th
59th
60th
61st
62nd
63rd
G4th
65th
66th
67th
NUMERALS.
n
<*?!>
FIGURES.
G8
G9
70
71
72
73
74
75
7G
77
78
79
80
81
82
83
84
85
86
87
88
89
90
91
92
93
94
95
96
CARDINAL NUMBERS.
V-8
vv
ORDER.
ORDINAL NUMBERS.
SANSKRIT.
94th
95th
96th
86
BENGALI GRAMMAR.
FIGURES.
97
98
99
100
1000
CARDINAL NUMBERS.
ORDER.
97th
98th
99th
100th
1000th
ORDINAL NUMBER
SANSKRIT.
a. When the Sanskrit ordinal numbers
and F^ qualify a feminine noun, they take ^ after them, as
£f«f$r| ; and all others, from five to at housand, inclusive, assume
3(, as ^fs^^t, etc., thus according with the analogy of other
adjectives. See § 30. The termination ^[% may be optionally
employed from the nineteenth to the fifty-eighth of the Sanskrit
ordinal numbers ; but the usual way by which they are repre-
sented has been followed in the foregoing columns.
73. A particular form of ordinal numbers is expressly
employed to designate the days of the solar month.
the first day.
the second day.
the third day.
the fourth day.
the fifth day.
the sixth day.
the seventh day.
the eighth day.
the ninth day.
the tenth day.
the eleventh day.
the twelfth day.
the thirteenth day.
the fourteenth day.
the fifteenth day.
w
> the sixteenth day.
the seventeenth day.
the eighteenth day.
the nineteenth day.
the twentieth day.
ORDINAL NUMBERS. 87
the twenty-first day. ?Tl4to *t1 the twenty-seventh
the twenty-second day. day.
the twenty-third day. ^ f $ 1 £ *t 1 the twenty-eighth day
Ffr*fl the twenty-fourth day. ^far*n the twenty-ninth day.
the twenty-fifth day. fapfl the thirtieth day.
the twenty-sixth day. J)<ffa*n the thirty-first day.
(t. The preceding ordinals are used in mercantile and revenue
accounts. They appear to have been introduced into the Bengali
from the Urdu or Hindustani by the Musalman rulers of the
country. According to the anonymous author of the Bengali
Grammar alluded to, § 21, a, "the Sanskrit names of day and
night are neither elegantly expressed nor understood after them ;
but instead thereof the Persian word ;., (?tSF 'a day,' or the
Arabic word f^Jtt ^3T?t^ ' date, ' is generally understood or
expressed;" and this, by the way, is a proof of their Muslim
origin. " Those ending in ^srl are borrowed in their masculine,
^
and those in ^, in their feminine forms, modified (from ^.*}.
They, however, do not undergo any further change in Bengali,
whether to agree with a masculine or feminine noun." The rule
for their formation appears to be this, viz., when the cardinal
number ends in a consonant without the inherent short a, the
termination ^sr) (sometimes j)) is added, as f?~*T| or f^Z*f "the
twentieth." If the cardinal ends in the short a, the latter is
, ,«/
changed into ^ and the termination ^ is added, as it is when
the cardinal ends in any other vowel beside the short a.
1). The learner must be prepared to find occasional deviations
in the orthography of Bengali words, and particularly in the
numerals. In this respect many anomalies are even* day met
with ; but these generally arise from the indiscriminate use
among the vulgar of *f, 3", and TT, or from the different modes
by which the diphthongs may be represented. The Sanskrit
cardinal and ordinal numbers, being employed chiefly by the
88 BENGALI GRAMMAR.
learned, and their orthography being established, are rarely
misspelt.
Of Collective Numbers,
74. The number ten being multiplied by itself, and the
product being again multiplied by ten ; and the same pro-
cess being repeated till the amount is one thousand tril-
lions, the sums so obtained are denominated as beneath.
ff"*T ten. *fa billion.
hundred. *r^"f*rf ten billions.
thousand. "*l^f hundred billions.
ten thousand. sr^t^T^r thousand billions.
hundred thousand. ?1^1 ten thousand billions.
million. ^t^tfl hundred thousand
ten millions. billions.
hundred millions. *f«T trillion.
S <K N
^T^TT thousand millions, srrfasf ten trillions.
\ N O^. V
ten thousand millions. ^c-^f^t hundred trillions.
^rsr hundred thousand mil- ^ ^T^f^qt thousand tril-
lions. lions.
a. The above collective numbers show us, en passant, the
extent to which the Hindus, the inventors of the decimal scale,
carried their enumeration table. The numbers themselves, with
the exception of the first half-dozen or so, are rather an object
of curiosity than of real practical utility. Their values are, in
some instances, occasionally explained rather differently: thus,
^T^T is sometimes represented to he ten billions. The word ^f^
" a score," is often used instead of fr*f " twenty." Reduplica-
tivcs are formed by subjoining ^«i "a twist," "fold," to any
Sanskrit cardinal number, as f%^«i " two-fold."
FRACTIONAL NUMBERS. 89
Of Fractional Numbers.
75. Quarters and halves of any whole number are thus
denoted. If a quarter more than one of the units of any
number is to be expressed, the word •*r*nfl is prefixed to
it, as ^r^irl "5^" " two and a quarter" (2^). If a half more,
Trlfs or Tft^s is prefixed, as 3Tff?r Fff^ "four and a half"
(4|); but if three quarters is to be expressed, as in " four
and three quarters" (4f), they then say "a quarter less
than five." The word c*n^r denotes a quarter less : thus,
V \2/
C*T)sw *tfv is "four and three quarters" (4f); literally "a
quarter less five." When ^Tlf?, T^TTI, and c*T)<^ are em-
ployed with "*T5 " a hundred," or >i^^ " a thousand," these
last are taken as whole or collective numbers, and the
compound will therefore imply a half more, or a quarter
more or less than the hundred or the thousand : thus,
TT^TTI *T5 " a hundred and a quarter (of the hundred)"
(125), c*h^ *te " a quarter less than a hundred" (75).
a. The term c*tlTl by itself implies " a quarter" (5), ^ or
is "a half" (J), Or5 "one and a half" (U), ^T^t "two
and a half" (2 3) ; and these are to be considered' as used in an
absolute sort of way. In the common concerns of business it is
seldom that any number requires to be divided into more than
sixteen parts ; consequently the ^rfal unit, or sixteenth part
of a rupee, is assumed to denominate fractional numbers, whose
denominator is two or any multiple thereof by itself: thus, f^w
^rfw| implies ^ths, *r$ ^rfal ^ths, etc. If any more minute
fraction is required, such, for example, as -b^th, it is only neces-
sary to say ('TUT! ;;5rf»rl " a quarter ana"
90
SECTION V.
ON TEE JUNCTION OF LETTERS, AND THE DERIVA-
TION AND COMPOSITION OF WORDS.
76. In the Sanskrit language, which enters so freely into
the Bengali, certain rules have been established for avoid-
ing the concurrence of harsh or incongruous sounds, or the
unpleasing hiatus which might arise from keeping sounds
apart that are disposed to coalesce. For example, when
two or more words arc united together, either as sentences
or as compounds, some alteration may take place in the
final letter of the leading word, or in the initial of the
succeeding words, or by both of them suffering some
change — as is sometimes the case in Greek, Latin, and
some other polished languages, though not so systemati-
cally as in Sanskrit. This euphonic change is called ^rf%
i.e. "junction," or "union," and is employed on three
occasions, viz. on the adding of the affixes to nouns or
verbs ; on the joining of two or more words so as to form
a compound word ; and lastly, on the simple joining of
words one to another as they occur in a sentence.
77. Junction of Vowels, etc. — It is a principle in Sanskrit
composition, that when two vowels come together in a com-
pound word or in a sentence, — as, for example, when one
word ends, and the next begins with a vowel — a coalition
or modification of the vowels takes place, so as to avoid a
JUNCTION OF VOWELS. 91
hiatus. In order to explain the rules to that effect, a con-
stant reference to the following Table of the Vowels, and
their cognate elements, will be of considerable service.
1. Short Vowels ... vfa^i^unri ^ Iri
2. Long Vowels . . . ^r| a ^ I ^ u ^ rl $ Irl
3. Guna Elements . 4 e ^ o ^r<T«r ^r al
4. Vriddhi Elements . ^rl d $ ai ^ au ^rt^ dr "srl^T dl
5. Semi-vowels ... *r ya ^ va <r ra sr la
a. The term gttna denotes conversion or change in the quality
of the vowel ; vriddhi a further extension or augmentation of the
same. Observe further, that the five short vowels in the first
line are similar, respectively, to those immediately under them in
the second line ; thus a and a, i and ?, u and u, etc., are said to
be similar, only differing in quantity. The vocal sounds e and o,
as well as ai and au, are considered by Sanskrit grammarians to
be diphthongs. Lastly, the four semi-vowels in the fifth line
bear a close relationship, as we shall immediately see, each re-
spectively, to the four vowels, etc., directly above them.
78. Junction of Similar Voiuels.— When a word ends with
any one of the ten vowels, short or long, in lines first and
second, and the following word begins with the same
yowcl, short or long, the two vowels always coalesce into
one long vowel. For example : ^r -f ^r, or ^r + ^d , or ^r|
•f ^ , or ^rj + ^r) , all make ^1 d : thus, f^n and ^T*t?tW
coalesce into f?«rl*t?TC*t "without offence." In like man-
ner, ^ + ^, or t" + ^, or ^ + ^-, or ^ + ^, make ^ I ;
and so on with the rest.
79. Of the Junction of Dissimilar Voivcls. — Dissimilar
Vowels are those which are pronounced by different organs,
92 BENGALI GRAMMAR.
as <sr and ^; or ^ and ^r, etc. When a word ends in any
vowel but ^r or ^H , and the next begins with a dissimilar
vowel, the final vowel of the first word is changed to its
own semivowel; thus in srfff and ^^ the ^ of srfff is
changed to TT, which is the semi-vowel of ^: thus, wf*t
" although." The same rule holds with regard to the
remaining vowels, as may be seen in the following ex-
amples, viz. :
or ^ becomes TT as in £T«Jlj? from «£tfo and
„ „ „ „ „
„ U> „ ? „ fW „ frf? „
80. Modifications of ^r and ^RTI, followed ly Dissimilar
Vowels, etc. — When a word terminating in ^ or ^rl is fol-
lowed by a word beginning with a dissimilar vowel, they
produce the change called Guna, and when followed by a
diphthong, that called Vriddhi, as *nrsr + ^^ = *f?W$t?
" the great God," ^ + ^^j = ^^Tsnr " great glory." So
in the following examples: viz., F^ + ^PT^T = ^755lW "the
rising of the moon," s[^1 + ^ft = sr^ft " a great sage," v5'^^
a good Likiir," ^^f + ^^ = ^c*ti<^ u the
one and only God," ^4-^t*rj=3r^*fj "your supremacy,"
^n^-t + ^•STTI = ^^-^-sfTT " a little light," ^^ + >^fk = STPJTl^fst
" a bad medicine."
81. Conversion of the Diphthongs. — When a word ends
with the diphthongs 4, *?, ^, or ^, and the next word
begins with any of the ten vowels in lines first and second,
then the diphthongs are respectively changed as follows :
JUNCTION OF CONSONANTS. 93
becomes ^r*r as in •TJR from c*f and
„ „ „
„ „ *Tir* „ br „
•& „ <*mi „ vtf*$ „ csl „
a. This rule is not of much importance to the Bengali student.
It is inserted here chiefly on account of the philosophic inge-
nuity it displays. In Sanskrit the diphthong Jj e is considered
to he made up of the two vowels a and i, as in our words " hair,"
"fair," etc. The diphthong ^ is made up of a and u, as in the
French words "haute" and "faute." Again the vriddld diph-
thongs J? and ^ are supposed to be made up of the long a and
the i or u combined ; and this accounts clearly and satisfactorily
for the changes above mentioned; which consist merely in a reso-
lution of the diphthongs into their primary elements, and then the
conversion of the final vowels into their corresponding semi- vowels.
82. Junction of Consonants. — In order clearly to com-
prehend tlie following rules, the student is particularly
requested to make himself thoroughly acquainted with the
following classification of the consonants, which, like the
vowels, are subject to certain euphonic permutations, when
coming in contact with each other. The thirty-three con-
sonants are divided into five classes, when taken hori-
zontally. Each class is named after the organ by which
its letters are uttered, with or without the aid of the
tongue : thus,
1 Gutturals ^ k *r kh *f g *r gli <8 n ^ h
2 Falatials F ch T% ch/i ~§i j ^jh *& n *r ?/a *f s/i
3 Cerebrals T> t $ ill "S d u dh «i n ? r *r sh
4 Dentals 3 t <t th if d % dh * n «r I f\ s
5 Labials * p t$ ph ^ I ^ Ih *r m ^ v
94 BENGALI GRAMMAR.
a. The letters of the first class are uttered from the throat ;
those of the second, by the tongue and palate ; of the third, by
the tip of the tongue pressed against the roof of the mouth ; of
the fourth, by the whole edge of the tongue pressed against the
upper row of teeth ; lastly, those of the fifth class are uttered by
means of the lips only. The letters of each of the five classes
are also named after the leading letter of each class : thus,
instead of guttural, etc., we may say the 3? ka-class, the F cha-
class, etc.
b. The first two letters in each of the five classes are called
hard consonants, the second being the aspirate of the first ; the
third and fourth are the corresponding soft consonants, the
fourth being the aspirate of the third; the fifth is the corre-
sponding nasal of each class ; the sixth and seventh are called
semi-vowels and sibilants respectively, and arc here arranged
under the classes to which they naturally belong.
c. Besides the above classification, there is another of a more
simple and general kind, to which we shall have occasion to
refer. In this latter classification the whole of the letters of the
alphabet are divided into two different orders, called surds and
sonants. The ten hard consonants, together with the three sibi-
lants, that is, <F, *f; ^, •§•; i>, £; s5, «t ; *f, *P ; *f, *, ?T, are
called surds; the rest of the consonants, together with all the
vowels, are called sonants.
83. We now proceed to lay down a few general rules
respecting the junction and permutation of consonants.
The subject, in fact, belongs more to the grammar of the
Sanskrit language ; but as the latter enters so freely into
the Bengali, it would be improper in us here to overlook it.
Rule First.
"When a word ends with any of the five hard aspirates,
and the next begins with a hard letter, aspirated or other-
JUNCTION Of CONSONANTS. 00
wise, the final letter of the first word is changed into its
own corresponding unaspirated letter : thus ft-^r^^ ^flfs
chitralikh Jcaroti becomes chltralik karoti, li the painter exe-
cutes."
Rule Second.
If a word terminates in any hard letter, and the next
begins with a soft letter, the hard is changed into its own
unaspirated soft, as wfa^ + Jf*TI = "^twTI "a living con-
dition;" so <1<K IT <t vdk-devl becomes vdg-dcvi, "the god-
dess of speech."
Rule Third.
When a word ends with any of the ten soft consonants,
and the next begins with any of the ten hard, the soft
is changed into its own corresponding hard : thus, <JT3[W
w&fs kumud phullati becomes Jcumut phullati, "the lotus
blossoms."
Rule Fourth.
When a word ends with a letter of the ^ class, and the
next word begins Avith a letter of the F class, the final of
the first word is changed into the F class ; when followed
by the i? class, into the T? class; and when followed by ef,
into cT, as *r?^ + F^" = •»! ^^ "the autumnal moon," ?T^ +
^T5 = *((^1^ " a good pupil," w^s. 4- w* = ^tfTW^ " people of
the world," ^ + vffr=^|fa "flying," ^<t + f%fcf = ^fwf^
" that writing,"
Rule Fifth.
"When the leading letters of each of the five classes, viz.,
^, F, F, v5, and ^ arc followed by any sonant letter, that
96 BENGALI GRAMMAR.
is, by a vowel, semi-vowel, nasal, 9f, ^, ^, IT, ?:, or their
aspirates, they become *t, 3F, ^, w, and ^ respectively, as
^fst^jf^ = f^9tfst5ff% "lord of the region," ^ + ^=
" the six seasons," ^ + ^*Tff = ^5^*f¥ " sprung from
it," v5«, + tffo = sw*fi% "that state." "When a nasal follows
any of the above letters, the latter are usually changed
into nasals of their own class to agree with it, as Tfa +
srir = ^t^ "wordy," ^ + frftd'-G = ^fsfwr^ "on that ac-
count ;" but the final of the first word may also follow the
general rule ; hence there are two forms : thus, ^50, + s^3J
may become either ^fci^iu or ^s^J " that man."
Rule Sixth.
If a word ends with ^s or if, and the next begins with
*f, the ^ and w become F, and »t is changed to ^, and
both are then united, as ^ + •*ft"35' = ^5^1^ "that shastra."
If a word ending in ^, ^ or Pf be followed by ^, the ^ and
\5 assume their soft sounds, and the ^ is changed into the
corresponding aspirate, as Tt^ + ^t^ = Tf*> ^t»r "destitute of
speech."
Rule Seventh.
? preceded by *»,•$«,?, S1, becomes «i; but =r preceded by
any other short vowel and followed by a vowel, is doubled, as
g|- + srfa = «2Nif " shout of applause," ^ + ^rt^n = 7r^t^n " a
good spirit." In the same circumstances, ^, ^, and «i are
doubled, as W + ^t?Tl == ^"^tTl " shadow of a tree."
Rule Eighth.
~s\ initial preceded by any vowel except ^, ^rl, by a
semi-vowel, or any consonant of the first or ^ class, is
changed to *r ; and ^ followed by the F class becomes *t ;
•irxcTiox OF CONSONANTS.
followed by the T? class, it becomes 3", as fr -f
"prohibited, "srsrJT 4- FtiF-5Rx(?11P "graceful-minded," s
F^T? - 5f^«^T? "twang of a bow." If <r iiiuil is followed
by any letter of the fourth or "5 elass, it changes that letter
to its corresponding one in the third or T? class, as <r*r -f '4
= *& "the sixth."
a. Let us now briefly recapitulate the substance of what we
have stated in the preceding eight rules, together with a tew
additional remarks. It appears that if two aspirated consonants
should meet according to rule tirst, the first must be changed to
its own unaspirated letter. The letters ^, T>, T?, and v\. when
they open on a nasal, are occasionally changed to their own
nasals, but they may retain their own unaspirated soft sounds,
as Tf3> + sr*T = ^t^ir or Tt^nr "wordy." Any dental letter opening
on a palatial or a cerebral, must be changed to a palatial or a
cerebral, as ^s^i, + F = isr^w , and ^s, -f w^J = *>'s&w . When a
dental letter opens on the letter «T, it should be changed to oT, as
3T1?, + C^ffa = ^ eff^ • The nasals \g. «i, ^, preceded by a short.
vowel, when silent at the end of a word, and followed by a
word commencing with a vowel, should be doubled, as ^f^r-f
^"f% = <rt5ffrf% . The letter ^, when beginning a word and pre-
ceded by a word terminating in a short vowel, should be doubled,
as ~3^f> 4. "grfirj = 3" -if ^Hrl • -^ letter over which a C?"^? *•<•'•> the
symbol _ r, is written may be optionally doubled ; thus it is cor-
rect either to write <£Tl or ''3, though custom has established
that it should be generally doubled.
b. The letter "3T is both the dental and the labial sibilant ; *f is
the palatial, and sr the cerebral and guttural ; that is. when TT
opens on a palatial, cerebral, or guttural letter, it must be
changed in due order to the sibilant of the same class, as ^T +
fF<^ = ^f»5s,, where the letter "3T has been converted into the
palatial *f, to agree with the palatial F of f%5,. Further, the
letter f{ is convertible into ^ when preceded by any semi- vowel,
98 BENGALI GRAMMAR.
the aspirate, or any vowel but ^ or <3fl. The letter «| is gener-
ally substituted for *f, when in the same word it is preceded by
3 or ^, but not if the ^ should be silent at the end of a word, as
^ « do" + ^r = <F£1 " the act of doing."
Of the Symbol Anuswarah and Visargah.
84. Strictly speaking, the anuswarah and visargah ought
not to be classed as letters of the alphabet. They are mere
symbols or substitutes, representative of other letters, viz.,
the anuswarah that of one or other of the five nasals, and
the visargah that of ? or ~s\. I here, however, follow the
practical rules respecting their conversion as laid down by
native grammarians. It is a rule, then, that anuswarah
followed by a vowel is changed into ^ : thus, "3T° and ^"t^f
when combined become ^rsrf^i . "When the anuswarah opens
on any letter of the five classes of consonants, it may be
changed to the respective nasal of the class, as f
what are you doing?"
85. The character s, or visargah, is susceptible of three
changes under certain circumstances. First, when fol-
lowed by any surd letter, it is changed to ^, as <r^s -f
«>fp5 = <r?^tn5 "Jupiter." Second, the visargah is changed
to ^ <9, when preceded by the inherent vowel, and fol-
lowed by any sonant letter, as 5^?+?^ = ^^?^ ua wish."
Third, the visargah is changed to ? when preceded by
any vowel but ^ or ^r|, and followed by a sonant letter,
as sr^"8 + tFs = ^r^f ~s . "When visargah -is followed by
either of the first two letters of the five classes, i.e., by
^ *f, ^ ^, T? %, x5 «T, ^ f$, or by a sibilant, it becomes a
sibilant, as ^1§ 4- ^<r = ^^^ " UK^ sun," fr§ +
VISA TIG AIL 0!)
" thoughtlessness," f*%+ »ff%=f5r?rfe " completion." When
<$ <t, ft >5, or a sibilant follows, there are two forms, as
+ ^t«? = f5W§^C8? or c^Sfsra? " glorious," 3IW8+-*rtf%-S
or 3r5r**rtf% " peace of mind." When the 8 is preceded by
the inherent vowel ^, and followed by ^r or any consonant
not included in the preceding rule, it becomes *?, as ^s +
^rfe = "^rtfe "older," C53t8 + *nr = reratsnr "glorious."
When any other vowel than ^ follows, it is dropped, as
+ 4?- = ^SFSJR u therefore."
a. It appears, then, from what we have just stated reaper! ing;
the changes undergone by the anuswarah and the i-ixarga/t, that
it merely consists in their re-conversion into the letters for which
they were originally adopted as conventional symbols.
b. In the older Latin compositions we find the final .v of the
nominative case of the second declension occasionally suppressed,
on a principle somewhat similar to that which in Sanskrit con-
verts it into a viaargah ; with this difference, however, that, in
Sanskrit Prosody the short vowel preceding the risarguh is long-
by position, whereas in Latin the vowel preceding the suppressed
5 is short. In fact, the >v in Latin seems to have been sup-
pressed, in order to have a convenient short vowel on an
emergency. This shews, however, that the final A- must have
been but slightly sounded, otherwise the Poet would not have
taken so much liberty : thus, in the Fragments of Ennuis :
Suavis houio, fanmilii', suo contcutii', bcatus,
Sceitu' secunda lofjiiens in teinpore, commodu', verlniui
Paucuin, etc.
c. The final * in the French words lex Las may be considered
as a species of visarguh : and the r in a vast number of Knglish
words is very nearly uttered like the same symbol: llius. the /•
in the word dark, as we pronounce it, is scarcely perceptible
to a foreigner; and a Brahman would probably write the word
\5t8^. The Scotch and Irish pronounce the r pure, like the
100
BENGALI GHAMMAR.
natives of Persia and India; a Frenchman, when he pounds the
r, perhaps overshoots the mark, particularly if he happens to
be in a state of excitement. The final >• in a great many French
words (for instance, Infinitives and Nouns of Agency ending in
er] may be considered as a visargah.
DERIVATION OF WORDS.
80. In Bengali the derivative words consist principally
of substantives and adjectives. They are divided by native
grammarians into tvro classes, viz., those derived from sub-
stantives, and those derived from verbal roots ; a divi-
sion of little practical use. Before we proceed further,
however, we would request the student to form a clear
notion of the terms Guna and Vriddhi already alluded to
in § 77, which he may the more easily do by referring to
the following Table : viz.
^«1 is the
change of
or
to
as when
becomes
55 ^ 5;
<»f% is the
change of
to
as when wz becomes ^
5,
*
n
55
••
55 ^\ 55
87. Derivative Nouns may be classed under eight heads,
viz. — 1. Gentiles; 2. Patronymics; 3. Abstracts; 4.
Amplificatives ; o. Diminutives; G. Verbals j 7. Denomi-
natives ; 8. Miscellaneous.
DERIVATION OF \OVNS. <)
(t. (h')itilcs, or such nouns as denominate a people or race
from the country or city in which they live, are formed by
(•hanging the first vowel of the country's name by f'ridd/ii, or
by adding some termination, or both together, as from fsrf'snn
comes tsjfsT-T "a man of Mithila;" ^t, ("SH^t? "a man of
Tudi." The most, common terminations of Gentiles are ^~w and
•sfcr, as SrTfq " IVihar," srf^fff (f%FT) "a man of Maghadha or of
Bihar," T^", <JtptV "a man of Bengal." Instead of these the
words OT^t and C?*TV*r may be added, as '<] y (M *Tt or <T^<>*rtlT-
If the name of the country ends in ^T, ^r), ^ or %, the termi-
nation1^ is added: thus, •ffa "China," makes cF^t "a Chinese."
!>ut if the name of the country already terminates in "5f , the
letter IT must be subjoined : thus, from ^t*ft " the city of
Benares/' comes ^t^ftlT " an inhabitant of Benares."
l>. Patronymics, or such nouns as mark the descent of a person,
are formed from the original word by lengthening the first syllable
of it by /"/vV/r////, as fTftT^T " name of a celebrated sage," CH}T3 - a
descendant of Gotama;" f*T3", ^^ "a votary or follower of
Shiva;" SfSfj Tr'R " a descendant of Mann;" (fi^Tf~s ua man's
name," tTRTtfl! "a son of Devadatta." In addition to lengthening
the first syllable, some words take a termination like
J)TT or IT, and sometimes change their final letters, as
'•a descendant of Nara ;" PT*r?^, Ff»T?f«r •'• a descendant of
Dasharatha;" ^sfa. "^IT^T "'a descendant of Atri;" ^t^f, f^U
"a descendant of Garga;" ^tSf| , ?tT5f?r "a descendant of a
kin;" 5", ^^"J "relatin to Indra."
c. jJhsfrfictti, which arc equivalent to English words ending in
-s-.v, hood, ship, etc., arc generally formed by the addition of
^TT| or TT, as ^T "long," ft^T^I -•length;" ^5 -good."
"goodness;" srf*^ "a man," 511^^" ••manhood;" -£f~5
Cv, (>^ ^
"a lord," £T^ "lordship;" ?$& "white," ^f^Tj (%*(} "white-
ness;'-' ~g~5 "'a messenger." ~%aJ or OtW " a message." Sometimes
they arc formed by lengthening the fn>t syllabic of the word by
102 BENGALI GRAMMAR.
Friddhi and changing the last; and at others by lengthening
it and adding IT, as <3<F "great," C$}J3 "greatness," "glory;"
5T^ "mild," STfJR "mildness;" f^<[ "steady/' fc^aj "stcdfast-
ness;" STsr? "sweet," ^Tf^r "sweetness;" •^•H<l "beautiful,"
" beaut."
r/. Amplificatives, which convey the idea of increase or multi-
tude, are formed by lengthening the first syllable of the word
by Vriddhi and occasionally adding ^ or TT, as C=TjT "people,"
C^)^ " many people ;" C^F^F " a field," c^F5 " many fields ;" <3^R"
"a man," (<Tl<FWsr "many men;" (3T*f "hair," kpsr "much
hair." The most common way of forming them, however, is by
simply adding ^"^t, 3|, or IT!, as *T% "a lotus," stf^Tt "a col-
lection of lotuses ;" w^ "a man or person," ^fsnsl "a multitude
of persons ;" ^<| " grass," 3^/1 " much grass."
e. Diminutives, which are expressive of something small or
contemptible, arc formed by adding to the word the termination
^, ^*r, 3?, ^ft, *ft*T, or 3, as <T5p "a tree," <P5FF "a small
tree;" ^f^: "a poet," ^fe:^r "a poetaster;" ^s^ "a horse,"
^"•Si"^, ^T«f"5ft " a mule ;" f»^^ " a doctor," f^^sfK " a quack
or a miserable doctor ;" <$\ "a hut," ^fcfa " a poor or miserable
Os. dK "
hut," "a cabin."
/. Verbal Pfoiins arc such words as are formed from verbal
roots, and signify cither the simple act of the original verb,
or the instrument by which the act may be effected. The
termination ^w is added to a root, generally converted by gnua,
to form verbal nouns implying the act of whatever the root ex-
presses : thus, ^je\ "the act of doing," from ^f "do," and ^^ .
Tbe termination 3f is added to roots converted by ^«i to form
nouns implying the instrument or vessel by which any act is
accomplished, as (^3 "the eye," from ^t "to lead;" C^fT^l "the
ear," from ££ '-hear." The terminations fs and iri form nouns
VKItHAL NOUNS.
103
denoting the result of an action: thus, ^gtfs •• the action or
done," from ^f "do;" frwi "knowledge," from fsw "know."
The termination ^srl when suhjoined to a root forms nouns which
often imply the result of an action : thus, ^$~] " a search," from
3($f "seek;" but occasionally the noun thus formed has a more
general acceptation: thus, TS7T1 "old age," from "ST "waste away;"
and \5t?T! "a star," from 35 "pass." There are also several other
terminations, as may be seen in the following list : —
ROOTS.
^•T to shine.
^5 to cross,
to see.
*t to pierce,
to hold.
^ to surround.
speaking.
; to speak.
i to be angry,
to be splendid,
to move,
to be drunk,
to breathe.
X
' to bear.
to sound.
to bind,
j to break down,
to tame.
to hear.
I to know.
to understand.
r to produce.
to crv.
TERMINATIONS.
3
gold.
a wave.
the eye.
pain.
virtue, justice.
an orb, circle.
murmuring.
a word.
^T man of low caste.
lightning.
conduct.
wine.
T air.
the arm.
c»r iR a bow.
tx
a wife.
a sword.
a rod, punishment.
the ear.
a relation.
understanding.
an animal.
the throat.
BENGALI GRAMMAR.
TERMINATIONS.
to sleep.
to request.
^»1 to shine.
< to screen,
f to cut.
\VORDS.
a sleep, a dream.
a petition,
the sun.
armour.
a hole.
g. Denominatives, or nouns of agency, are formed from verbal
foots by various terminations like the preceding. The termina-
tion \51 is added to a root converted by ^«| to form a concrete
noun implying an agent, as ^u1 " a doer, maker, or agent," from
^f " do." Observe, however, that when words formed by ^51 arc
in a state of composition, this termination takes the original
crude form ^, as when ^ir^ " agency " is formed from ^ul " an
agent." The terminations ^5RF m. q^] /. when added to roots
augmented by 3"f% also form concrete nouns implying agency, as
F " who causes to do," from ^ "do." The terminations^ m.
/. are, in like manner, added to roots augmented by <rf% to
form nouns of agency, as ^t^t »*• <ttf?^t/. " a speaker," from ^
••speak." The terminations ^s^ in. W^t/. are likewise added to
roots to form concrete nouns of agency, as <lSi<? )ji. " a washer-
ma:!," <nr^t/. --'a washerman's Avife," from <r§^ "colour." The
syllables w\~$ m. ^tft/. are likewise terminations deduced from
•§f "do," and added to nouns to form concrete epithets, as ^[^t^
'•' a blacksmith." A few other modes of forming derivatives of
this sort may be seen in the following; lL<t : viz.
TERMINATIONS
to do.
»r to produce.
to beg.
to rejoice,
to receive,
to bind.
an agent.
it father.
? a beggar.
a son.
(ft] a receiver,
friend.
0- V
DERIVATIVE ADJECTIVES. 105
TERMINATIONS. VOU1;S.
to bark. ^ ^T3 a dog.
<^<X'
^«cT to kill. ^^ ^«7i^ or N»f^<t- a bear.
ff^T to go. v51 *T$1 a traveller.
Two nouns, or a noun and verbal adjective, are often used to
form nouns of agency, as "•j^ffo, "$*ft3, ~*£$?, ^^s?, "if^^f "a
//. Miscellaneous. — There are many nouns which cannot be
classed under any of the preceding denominations, and which 1
have therefore called miscellaneous, as sr<t, srfu^rl "earth;"
^Jj<j " undying," " ever-living," ^ V fi'fa^st " the immortal place,"
" heaven," etc. The rules hitherto given refer to words either
purely Sanskrit, or at least of Sanskrit origin. The following
remarks apply to native words or those used in an idiomatic
sense. When the mutual performance of the same thing is to
be expressed, the verbal noun ending in ^STI denoting the result
of the action is reduplicated, and the letter ^" is substituted for
the final ^rl to end with, as^t^tfe "a mutual cutting;" srHrfrtf^
"a mutual beating." Substantives arc also reduplicated in a
similar manner, as ^j^t^Tf^ "from ear to ear;" ^3[*rf^[f*t '-face
to face." A sound of no perceptible meaning is often made to
rhyme with a word to denote such things as generally accompany
it : thus, !f5nj5T *• water," etc., the same as ^f«T " water." A svl-
" N \
lable is often reduplicated to imply an imitation of certain sounds,
as ^rwqrw "anv pattering sound;" ^r^T "the tinkling of bells."
\ \ • •» V S
The following example will show how such reduplicated words
are used : viz. ^rfosfl'^ *ft^ (FT& ^r? ^rf^ffr 1 ^^W
STT3 '»rf5T n " \Vounds fall without ceasing and inflict
<X
gashes ; I hear only the din and clanking sound of the battle."
DERIVATIVE ADJECTIVES.
88. Derivative adjectives are of two kinds, those formed
from nouns like our adjectives ending in able, iblc, ate, cut,
106 BENGALI GRAMMAR.
ous, y, ly, ful, some, etc. ; and those formed from verbs like
the English participles ending in ing. The terminations
^T m. Tl /• form adjectives, but the ^r of the masculine
is generally dropped in Bengali, though retained in San-
skrit: thus, fsrersTw. fsrefsrl/. "pure," "immaculate." The
terminations <sr m. ^ /. are of frequent occurrence ; but
generally the ^ of the masculine is altogether dropped
in Bengali, though retained in Sanskrit : thus, "37»n| m.
-y.'kfft1 /. "beautiful." The terminations <ST m. $ f. when
joined to nouns whose first syllable has been augmented
by <rf%, form adjectives with a meaning implying a rela-
tionship to what the noun implies : thus, srfsra " marine,"
from *mjq "the sea." The terminations ^ m. ^t/. are
added to nouns, to imply the being possessed of what the
noun signifies: thus, ^lift in. <J?tP^^l /. " lustful," from sefT
" lust." The terminations ^ m. Tit/, or *rt^ m. *rft/. also
form adjectives denoting the possession of what the noun
to which they are added implies : thus, <J(^Tt^ m. ^C^T^ft f-
"holy," from <£9f "holiness;" iT^fa in. Tf^rsrft /. "intel-
ligent," from "5J% "intellect." The terminations v^ m.
^ft/. are added to nouns augmented by <rf% to denote the
possession of what the noun implies : thus, sflfsfe m.
" pious," from w " piety." The terminations tr in.
or ^ir m. ^rrl /• or <£[$ m. <£($} and ^Tft /. or TT m. ^rl /. are
added to nouns to form adjectives implying some kind of re-
lationship, either general or particular, with the word which
they qualify. The words to which they are added are often
augmented by <rfw, as (*t1<K4iy " male," from <itW^ " a man."
The terminations ^o and^t^ arc often found joined to roots
and nouns to form adjectives denoting the having a ten-
dency to what they imply : thus, vif^a having a tendency
to sii/cr: "patient," from ^ "bear or endure,"
DERIVATIVE ADJECTIVES. 107
"compassionate," from inn "pity." The terminations ??
and ^ form adjectives denoting possession or propensity ;
as ^T? "a lord," from ^*f "power;" fs^ "a beggar,"
from f^sp "beg."
«. A very great number of adjectives expressive of having or
possessing the thing indicated by the substantive, is formed by
affixing -^, SR, ^TT, *rT^fr, «Ttf?w "holder," and the Hindustani
termination ^TrfcTl ; and a few by affixing faw, ^r, ^?r, '^its? ,
cT, ^cT, ^r, ^r, *f, 3 to nouns: tlius, -$*t "beauty," 3»«t-3^
"beautiful;" ^fsf "a wave," %f?T-3R "wa\T;" wf^T "know-
ledge," wff^W "possessing knowledge," "sapient," "wise;" ^cT
"strength," ?^T-*rt1%^ "possessing strength," "strong;" TjfH
"a cap," gf*f-vS^Tt?n "wearing or holding a cap" (a tcmi applied
to Europeans and Christians in general); c^^Tl "memory,"
CTiTl-f^3* or csrfk? "possessing a good memory," "having capacity
to learn;" 3Tf^ "an arrow," ^|4t<[ "having an*ows;" tf-g"
"a tooth," w^<[ "tusked;" ffiH "kindness," inrtfj "kind;"
"matted hair," snft-cT " having matted hair," " a devotee ;"
" hah-," ($ft-*t " hairy."
b. Adjectives formed by adding f3f*f« " having," " possessed
of," ^^5 1C^ "joined or connected with," ^psi^ "possessed
of," 'STf^Ta' " having," " seized or affected by," and •Spg " swallowed
by," "involved in;" though not literally or directly, yet in
effect, are of this class, as <Q«i "quality," <Q«l-f%f*r«, WfiW,
"having or possessing qualities ;" <rf?f "anger,"
"possessed of, or seized by anger." ^rt^T
and -^'|^<i " distressed," are generally annexed to nouns signify-
ing passions or consequences thereof, as CS^t5^^ " distressed by
anger," c*Tf^tfcT "distressed by grief."
c. The following Past Participles arc often employed to ex-
108 BENGALI GEAMMAE.
press the existence in some individual or thine;, of what the
noun implies, viz.,, "g^, -535,, ^f^5, f^f^^s, •STS^, ^l^FS or
<j»(|^x«. all signifying "joined or attached;" ^f^"93s» possessed of
faith: "confiding;" %535 possessed of glory, etc. : "glorious;"
*f^r|f^5 jwssessed with fear : " afraid ;" (^•jyiyff^S possessed of
youth : " youthful ;" £TSi?t-£i U.^ possessed of shame : " ashamed ;"
^CTtC^S possessed of good qualities : " accomplished ;"
addicted to vice or debauchery : "vicious/' "dissolute;"
"turned/' 3TW turned to what is good: "well-disposed;"
"pained/' (tftft^j pained by sickness : " sick;" ^f^5 "afflicted,"
f*TtTff*tf« afflicted with grief: "sorrowful;" £p$ "seized," (-2^4^
seized with love : "in love;" ^Krt^sT "filled," fF^t^T filled with
O^ IK
anxious thoughts- "sad;" ^Tf^lT "attained," f^"^nrW^ over-
taken by surprise: "confounded;" Tp^Tg" "gifted," Wt»T5f»^"
gifted u'itJi knowledge: "wise;" "^5 "become," T*ft^5 become
obedient: "suhmissive ;" ^Tffti^ "filled," C^ft^tf^ filed with
splendour: "resplendent;" 3^3 "understood," %£%??$ before un-
derstood : " forementioned ;" ^5 " devoted to," ^sr^^T^ devoted
to benevoloice : "benevolent;" ~%(~5 "done," ^3~§T5 formerly
done: '-former/' "previous;" f^TS "'situated," ST^jf^s situated
in the middle: "medial," "central;" ^if^TS "pained,"
pained at heart : "grieved;" <2fT^| "obtained,"
lias been changed: "altered," "disfigured;" £T3\ "'acquired,"
acquired through favour : "bestowed;" f^5 "kept,"
kept u'ithin : "concealed;" W\~s "born," ^^["SfT^ legit i-
li mutely born: "legitimate;" f^fir^ '-caused/' f^t^^f^f^r^
caused by prohibition: "preventive;" Wffz53 "moistened,"
moistened with pity: "affected;" nr^[ " effected,"
effected by proof : "demonstrated;" ^tf^~S or ^5>{Tf^lf"5
" earned," ^"4iTf^f^5 acquired through good works : " deserved/'
"merited;" "^f^TJ^rfferS acquired through a husband : -'marital,"
"conjugal."
DKKIVATIVE KHTHETS. 100
(1. The following epithets imply "fitness": "5*^,
or ^flT5 "lit," thus, fsRff?" deserving of hl<ime: "culpable;"
r:«i "fit for empire;" '^qfCOft'® Jit for work : "capable,"
" active ;" HZ«nf^ as is Jit : " suitable," " much ;" ^| " wished,"
(is »'.v wished : " sufficient," " satisfactory."
K. Epithets arc very often formed from a past participle
and a noun implying a substance, to express some new con-
nection of one subject to another : thus, sift's " adorned," <l 3 n f<3~5
adorned with gems : "jewelled;" $jf^5 " inlaid," srft^lfF^ inlaid
with gems: "jewelled;" frfsrs "fashioned," C3\$ffiw$ formed
of iron : " of iron ;" ^T°^5 " covered," <l<^j^7T0^"3 covered with hark:
"dressed in bark;" ^Ti^5" taken place," C^Tt?^ri^5 impregnated
with iron : " chalybeate."
/. The absence or loss of whatever the noun implies is often
expressed by subjoining the following participles : viz. ^fa " des-
titute," fTSTf^fa destitute of knowledge: " illiterate ;" ^f^5 " de-
serted," •^5T?<rf^5 without food: " foodlcss/' " destitute ;" ^fsfs
"abandoned," "at^T^fsf^ without reflection: "heedless;" ^z
" fallen," Wff$^ fallen from hirtlmght : "outcast ;" ^5 "' de-
stroyed," WH^4> bereft of consciousness : " confounded."
g. Epithets implying1 similarity are very frequently formed
with the following terminations : viz. TfWtsr, ^2T, £ftlT, ^i^f, WT9"
or ir*f "like," thus, f^js.TT^Tf'f like lightning: "quick," "nim-
ble;" F^"^" moon-like : "lunar," "beautiful;" ^t5flf^?T5f^ftir
like an emperor: "imperial;" f^FSl^f like a father: "fatherly,"
"'paternal;" ^ffetTT heaven-like: "heavenly," "celestial;" ^nv^f
like the good : " virtuous," " worthy."
h. The word ^ literally denotes "form" or "'shape," hence,
"similitude;" but in composition it further signifies "composed
110 BENGALI GRAMMAR.
of," or "consisting1 of;" hence it is in a very limited degree
equivalent to a genitive sign, as thus stated by Dr. Yates : ' The
possessive case is supplied by 3^ " form," when the language is
not natural but figurative, as *l>§J4»*f ^§f " the cords of death,"
sff^rt'Wf *rn3 " the cup of salvation," c*ft^W*l' *stf$ " the fire
of distress." This word <s*t must not be confounded with its
cognate ^3f*f : the former may always be explained by " having
or assuming the form of," as C*Tf^?f^f ^f?f " fire having the form
of grief;" the latter, ^W*^ may always be explained by "being'
a peculiar form of," as ^"f^f^^t C*fft? " grief being a peculiar
form of fire," \4t^t? *fjrfa*f ftra^S^T sHT " his advice is poison,"
that is, " a peculiar form of poison."
i. The subjoined epithets have a word implying an agent as
the last member of the compound, and no remark need be made
respecting them, except that their feminines arc formed by
^"•ft like other attributives in ^ . See § 88. Wtf\ " making,"
^rsDtfs^fft making dishonour: "dishonouring;" ^t^fft "help-
ing," ^nr^t^ftFllft helping another: "kind," "humane;"
"speaking," fastJlTffft speaking falsehood: "lying;" '
"censuring," ^t^t^t^tft censuring others: "slanderous;"
"going," ^sffffsft going before: "preceding;" ^Renft " Ac-
pending," ^5^fjt"5cT"^t depending on firmness: "patient;" ^ift
"abiding," ST^R^t abiding in the middle: "centra]," "medial;"
•"ft^t " disposed to," ^^Ff^Tt^t disposed to assistance,: "bene-
ficent;" sp'srt "destroying," ^«t^t?^°"^t destroying kindness:
"ungrateful;" tf^t " seeing," ft^HP^t seeing long (before] : "pro-
vident," "cautious;" ^twt "desiring," ^T^^t^t^t^s^t desiring at-
tachment: " affectionate," "fond ;" ^"|7Tt " staying," ^^ft
staying in the atmosphere', "aerial;" ^^t " desiring,"
desiring food: "hungry," "destitute;" «rf*rt "abandoning,"
abandoning right: "reprobate;" 3JTft " consuming,"
DERIVATIVE EPITHETS. Ill
consuming ichat\s ascertained: "economical ;" <Tffft
" passionate," ^wi^»«|<rffTt passionate from moment to moment :
"peevish;" ^^4f6rt " delight ing," ^$*i1t(<l1f?t delighting in
his oivn acts: "vain-glorious ;" ^>it^<^t "following," "^fSSTtflft
following orders: "obedient;" ^^vil^t "following,"
following the ordinances: "orthodox;" "sr^nfTft "following,
^ t 93'ft^ \ijft following orders: " obedient ; "
-well-wishing: "benevolent."
A-. The following; epithets arc likewise formed by a termination
implying an agent: viz. tftlRF " giving," f^^tFf^ g> 'ring alms :
"charitable;" ^R? "producing," v» ij §» •) <^ producing fear : "ter-
rific;" If *T?F " shewing," ^fVglf*^ .shewing ichat\s not desired:
"ominous;" "^"^<f " wishing," ^^CUJi^^ desiring power: "am-
s d-* (S.
bitious," "worldly-minded;" ^<r^ "fulfilling," IftftqfjR fulfilling
wishes: "kind," "humane;" STfW "destroying," f^^Tr^rf^
destroying confidence: "treacherous;" ^|lft'»f^ "exhibiting,"
7^«15f^t*t<f exhibiting self-qualifications: "ostentatious,," "vain-
glorious."
/. The following inseparable terminations serve to form epi-
thets, that are of very frequent occurrence ; they are all either
past participles, or the contractions of words implying an agent :
F<3[ "moving," ^f5TF£ moving in the icuter: "aquatic;" ^
"doing," ^JfCi|'f^<-^[ causing uneasiness: "persecuting;" ^"stand-
ing," ?w^ standing in the middle: " medial," " an umpire ;" ft
"going," ^5f>5fft "going before: "preceding;" ft "singing,"
^TfSTff "singing the Sfima Ved;" w "knowing," Tf^w knowing
all things: "'omniscient;" ^ "destroying," '•tsf*^ "killing the
foe ;" ^<[ " seizing," sn^Tf^T captivating the heart : " fascinating;"
If "giving," ^T^l? giving food: "charitable;" ^f "born," ^-t^TSf
arising from lust: "libidinous."
fn. When the inseparable terminations XfiT m. srft/. are added
112 BENGAL! GRAMMAR.
to a substance, it implies the being made up of it, or tlic being
filled with it: thus, "srg "composed of," ^W^T made of wood;
"wooden." The termination ^ " empty," "void of," seems
very much the opposite of 5r?T, and is of common occurrence :
thus, "g^J "empty," srjT^W destitute of men: "uninhabited."
The inseparable termination -^T implies a natural disposition to
any quality to which it is subjoined: thus, •*rt=T "disposed to,"
disposed to fear : " fearful," " timid."
n. The following adjectives being added to words, form at-
tributives : viz. 3T3«R? " having cause," <s^C<rf*r^<r«re effected ly
complaisance: "complaisant," "kind;" ^TtlT^ "'inherent,"
F^irt^r^ consisting of four : " quadruple ;" ^A " being pre-
vious," f^TTT^^ with previous humility, "humble;" ^^
"having an agent," ~^&$~Q^ having another for an agent i
"done b another."
o. The adjuncts <£T~^ and ^ij^ will require some further
illustration, as they are peculiar in their use : they both are em-
ployed in place of the instrumental case, as we stated § 23. The
first implies the manner how any act was performed ; and the
latter describes the agent by whom anything was accomplished,
and therefore requires the verb in the passive voice : thus, (^
flrTSl ~*FF3 **>T\Fsf fe^^F frwtH 3f^r5f% 1 "O ye host of
Cods ! I make a ]i\nn\lit\-j)receding representation." The above
( x unplc is therefore equivalent to "a representation preceded
hy humility," i.e. " an humble representation." Again, ^ff^lRRj^'
1 "that is declared by the Pandit," or "the
Pandit being the agent that is declared."
]>. We now conclude with two lists of adjectives formed in
various ways, the first from nouns, the second from verbs.
IiKUIVATIVi: AD.TECTIVKS.
11:5
1. Adjectives fanned from \ouns.
xorxs.
5P lac dve.
TLKM I NATION'S.
knowledge.
end.
hind part,
a race.
hell,
wind,
work,
fear.
wisdom,
a tooth,
honey.
5 coldness,
fear.
Pf hair.
knowledge.
^ brightness.
TTfa" hair,
pa work.
'2. Adjectives formed from T'crlis.
The largest class of this sort is that ending in ^ (^w\ as
p-w), " standing/' ^T?Tt (9"^), "doing," gfSJTrt ( ^sj ) 'kbc-
lieving;" but there are many other ways of forming adjectives
from verbs as may be seen in the following table:
*T
r<^ dvod \\-ilh la<-.
\\"i<e.
r^r last.
"3 slippery,
honourable.
rt~5" hollisli.
^t hypochondriac.
3-"*iJ# diligent.
^fr terriiic.
^snr sinful.
wise.
^J dental,
sweet.
^ cold.
^t^T^j ^t^^ timid,
hairy,
wise.
(TSpfj" (^v) bright, glorious,
hairy.
f^t diliii'ent.
ROOTS.
to go.
to live,
to fear.
•\YOHDS.
^^ moving; a v/>iy.
"v living.
r terrifyins:.
8
114
BENGALI GRAMMAR.
TERMINATION'S.
tf?r to pity.
TT^ to bear.
N
sTff to be soft.
«- \
^^ to break.
^ff? to awake.
*W to be bold.
*^ V
to eat.
sr to bow.
s
*T to perish.
1 to stand.
Sf to conquer.
pitying,
bearing,
mild.
breaking, brittle.
waking,
daring.
ravening,
yielding, humble.
<[ perilling.
standing, stationary.
conf{ucring.
DERIVATIVE VERBS.
89. We have already explained, § 50, how causal verbs
are derived from their primitives ; it remains only to say
a few words on the derivation of Bengali verbs from
Sanskrit roots. As a general rule, if the Sanskrit root
ends with a consonant, the Bengali verbal noun is formed
from it by adding '^•r, and sometimes changing the vowel
of the root by guna or vriddhi, especially such as end in
the anomalous vowel *n n, thus :
VERILVL XOUX.
worshipping.
counting.
taking up.
or C^T^R writing.
vomiting.
happening.
blazing.
VrilRAL NOUN.
bearing.
laughing.
doing.
si<r<i taking hold.
(-lying.
taking by force,
stealing.
COMPOSITION OF WORDS.
11"
Roots ending witli a double consonant, the first of
wliieh is a nasal, usually change the latter to *' and
lengthen the preceding vowel, as "STST, Nsft^sf " marking,"
ap7*, ft¥^ "weeping," ^, ^f^ "sharing out," w, Tf'<^
" binding."
The following may be regarded as irregular in their
formation, though with one exception regular in their
conjugation after they are formed: —
fcr
vfl
^
VERHAL NOUN.
obtainin
with
speaking,
buying,
selling,
singing,
awaking,
knowing,
flying,
standing,
giving (irregu-
lar, vide § 52.)
VERBAL NOUX.
seeing,
washing,
taking,
being,
measuring.
o*
coming,
keeping.
learning,
lying down.
hearing,
or f^»r
or
being situated.
COMPOSITION OF WORDS.
90. It is one main peculiarity of the class of languages
called Indo-European that they all, more or less, delight in
compound words. The Sanskrit, in this respect, stands
decidedly at the head of the family ; as there appears to be
no limit to the number of the words that may thus be
combined into one compound word. It is a general rule
that when two or more words are compounded, all the com-
1 1 (1 BENGALI GRAMMAR.
ponont members, except the last, reject their characteristic
signs of gender, number, and case, and the intervening
conjunction copulative, if any, and then unite by ^rfw, if
applicable.
«. The compound words, vivjt^ samusa, agreeably to the
nature of their construction, arc arranged under the following
classes by native grammarians ; viz. the W^ ; the ^*sr*TlT?r ; the
; the ^<^3" ; the T^"3ftf^ ; and the
91. Is the aggregation of nouns in the same case and of
the same sort under one head, by omitting any intervening
copulative conjunction which is equivalent to our "and:"
thus, instead of <rfa "^T? «P*sr«l they say ?tw*5T<l " Eama and
Lakshmana;" so instead of jfrc^ ^<r° ererire they say
?t^r^T4if^^^ "to Ililma and to Lakshmana;" so in the
following sentence, where we have a dwanchva consisting of
four words, :^n5 <£R <£tT€f^Tf3 <£< ^f^rj ^^ ^flttf? w^j ^sr^r^t^
9ff%rrl ^t?T9x 1 " Por tliis reason, having formed ornaments
for the cars-necJc-hands-fcet of the image, let nic decorate
it with them."
a. In Sanskrit this form of compound is divided into two
sorts,, called Harctdr and Nfutta/tard. The itdrctar consists (»f a
combination of two or more nouns ending with a dual or
plural termination., as in llama-JLakti/tmatia-dig-ke, so also in
the oblique cases (;f t!ie following, viz. fsfStSTflJl "fatlier and
motheiy' ^^f^trrj " master and scholar." Again, the xdinulivra
consists of a similar combination of words forming a singular
or collective noun: thus, srt0"^?"^ "flesh and blood/' sfff^rfff
''hand and foot," ^|^TT'5tW"*>!T*f " form, taste, smell, and touch''
(collectively).
COMPOUND WOIJDS. I 1
02. The compounds of this class consist of adjectives
prefixed to their substantives in conformity to the rules of
stuulhi, as of?w + -sTtin = ^T^rtrrt "the Holy Spirit," "God ;"
srtsr + ^«t5T = ^Rtcwr^^T u the blue lotus."
ft. The first member of a Kar mad /id ray a may al<o he a noun,
which, when t!uis prefixed becomes equivalent to an adjective.
or a substantive in the genitive case, as :5^'^~5 '• a gold chain,"
fJT^ir^? "the holy book," <ri5r<-srf<r" the kind's son," l^^fp" •• the
preceptor's house," *f gj <! .in 3 t£°r\ 3 <l<- y tf^RT* ft "Fl " the beauty of
shoots, fruits, flowers, clusters and buds." In compounds of this
kind, words ending with *?y retain their original form, a
'•father's religion," srlic-q^ "'mother's affection."
l>. Words denoting excellence, or used metaphorically for that
purpose, arc placed after the object, as ^f-T^rnR?- " an excellent
king," 5T^-f^Tc^ " a man-lion," or " a man bold as a lion,"
"'a man-elephant," i.e.,11 powerful as an elephant,"
" a man-tiger," "ft^?^" " the king of heroes."
c. The words <lt&H "a king," and "3Hf»T "'a day," when pre-
ceded by adjectives, drop their (final) ^, as ^irsrtT " a niu> day,"
^T^TtT •'• ;a holy day," 3T^T?Tf5f "a great king." The word "sr?"^,
however, becomes W^ after tbe word 7f^ "all," and any word
signifying a particular part of time, as TTTts? '* Jdl day,"
" mid-day," ^JFrfTrT^ " evening," ^Tf^ "' forenoon."
93. A compound of this class is always preceded by a
numeral, which gives the idea of an aggregate number of
whatever the noun implies, equal to the value of the
numeral: thus, feirsw " the three-worlds," from fbr >; three,"
and 1R~^ "a world;" ^l^t uthe four-ages," from
''four," and ^f u an age."
118 BENGALI GRAMMAR.
«, When applied to the names of weights, vessels, weighable
objects, SR is usually changed into irfsr or ~%f*l ; C*f? into (*f<fl ;
3F into ^Ffr^ ; s"F5 into ^tfl5 ; *fgf into sfsrl ; *<?«i into i^tsi ;
into ^srf^^sT . FlTT-srfsr " containing or weighing four
^o- <
mans or maunds," fs^-C^T^Tl " containing three seers," «Tffc ^ut£<?
'•weighing fivq chhataks." J^We Appendix on Weights and
Measures.
4.
94. Tatpurusha samdsa is the compounding of two sub-
stantives by cutting off the inflective sign of the first ;
somewhat like our words "steam-navigation" and "Thames-
Tunnel:" thus ^-<Jt^ for tOT <jf^ "the son of the ^<F,"
for ^r^sc?? TTft " the house of father-in-law,"
for STST f^Tsl u my father," ^pzn5t~5l for ^tsrlTTf? T3t5l
our brother," Wfw for ^3R ^t^r "thy word," ^?5|^ for
"his house," ^t^f ^? for ?T"5rt? ^ "the king's
taxes," sits C^ or 5i1~sT? C^T " mother's affection."
a. Observe that in such compositions ^t5fl or ^tSf5^ is changed
into <rt§f, and "his," "thine," "mine," etc., assume what in
Sanskrit is called their crude form, viz., \5^$, ^~<?,, and 3^5, etc.
"
5.
95. Wlicn two or more words or compound terms being
put together form such an epithet or attribute as indicates
the object of attribution endued with or possessed of what
is signified by its component elements, and not their
respective significations singly, such composition is called
^•ifHx--yr?rm : thus, from *fhs " yellow" and ^rr? " cloth,"
are formed *ft^T3T the epithet which means "clothed in
yellow," one of the denominations of Krishna, from his
generally wearing yellow clothes. As a general rule, re-
garding the order of the words in the above compound,
COMPOUND WORDS. 1 1 1)
the final member is generally a substantive or that term
which indicates the subject of attribute ; the initial, a
substantive4, an adjective, a preposition, or a participle ;
and a medial, if any, generally an adjective ; for example,
onar-CWTF^ "lotus-eyed," a^Hif* "high-minded," if*rt^ "ten-
headed,'' '<^k " good-hearted," whence, " a friend," 9
"bereft of sense or understanding," ^ft^w ^<*1 (or
having a beautiful young wife."
a. When the compound word is an epithet of comparison, and
both the members are substantives, then the word compared to
is used first, and that compared, last, as F5"-?if^ " having a
moon-like face or person," i.e. "having a face as beautiful as the
moon." Compound words of this class are also formed by com-
bining with any substantive a passive participle ; in which case
the substantive is always used first. Such compounds are very
numerous, being:, in fact, formed at the pleasure of the writer or
speaker, to imply some new state of what is described ; a lew
specimens of which we here subjoin: ^5«t ''arisen,
arisen from sleep: "awakened," <3STt3FfaJ" overstepped,"
overstepped by an enemy: "invaded;" ^Nr" spoken,"
declared in the Ordinances: "ordained;" f^f^~5 "directed,"
HI 3 T<J ^ -4 directed iti the Ordinances: "decreed;" RlF^f "op-
posed," "*T| 35 T< <? % contrary to the Ordinances: " heteredox ;"
"^srf^TJ "' mounted," ^sp^tST? mounted on a horse : " riding," "eijucs-
trian;" ftf^S "proud," sjsrTffr? proud of -wealth: "purse-
proud;" ^5TN~5 "arrived," fetr*rt^rs arrived from abroad :
"foreign;" ^5^*8 "subjected," ^n?EtlT'Q suJtjeeted In fate:
"predestined;" W|~5 "'known," Vi^^fS who is acquainted* id th
all things: "omniscient," "wise;" R^ "pierced,"
pierced Jty an arrow: "transfixed;" ^[%3 "marked,"
marked with a name: "superscribed;" !fl? " i;iven,"
"given by a goddess;" z^ "acquired," or ^Tfg "got,"
obtained from a god;" jftu •'•' composed,"
120 BENGALI GRAMMAR.
"composed by a Pandit;" <^f^5 "filled," ^T^f^S "filled with
bran;-' ^^ "eaten," si^lr^ "eaten by an elephant;" cTtf
"fixed," «Wffffl "stuck in the mud;" *ff%3 " fallen," ^cf«ff^
"fallen into the water;" Wt ' " wasted," ^5^t ' wanted in body:
" emaciated."
I). Every compound word of this class, being' an epithet, must
agree in gender with the word to which it is related, and there-
fore its final component part, if of a different gender, is to he
changed into the form of the same gender of which the object
(qualified) is, and the rest generally into their crude or neuter
form : thus, Masc. ^^b^:4 (<J(<Fsr) "black coloured," or " a black
man;" Fein. 3^3 ?'l (ift) "a black woman;" Neut.^a 3' (3"5[)
"a black coloured cloth."
r. If the last member of a Bahurrlhi compound end in •$ ,
or be a feminine noun with a final ^ or ^, then 3? is affixed to
it, as wir|™53? "without a mother," "having no mother;" TT^^?
"'having a wife," "with one's wife." The letter 3? is generally
affixed to the words ^?T5T '-chest," ^TTTT "age," Tif^r "ghee,"
ST "fame," ^r«f "'object" preceded by the privative particle
and usually to 3T?T«| "an instrument;" also to ^^ "be-
fore," ^ " root," " origin," <j£2f " a son," ^r«f preceded by TT,
and some others, when they form the last member of the Bahu-
rrllti compound, The ^ is optionally added to SRTT " niind," and
a feu' more, when similarly situated : thus, ^JTJ+ ^
"broad-chested," xsrfw + ^"^ = wfe^"^ "aged,"
= f£niTTfW '-ioiul of ghee," ^ + ^ = ^W^ "useless,"
<??«i<p "by means of," ir^s + IP5)^! = sr^tlT^r^ "very famous,"
•^•f _j_ ^^r == ^[^,7^ " without an olycct." ^ -f ^«T = = ^T^^I^
'•without foundation," ^ + <^ = ^5\<?j~33- "without a sctn," TT
^ s5[«f = -yrf^% " successful," ^^j + 5[^^r = ^na/sr^ng or ^sr^;s^^
" differently minded." Finally, observe that ^"4 preceded by
f^<T is used in Bengali both with and without 3?, as fif^^ or
f*f^^j; •' usehvs. " The former, however, is not correct according
to some Sanskrit icrammarians.
COMPOUND VKIU',8.
G.
9G. These require very little notice, as the term applies
to any of the five preceding words when used in an
adverbial sense. They are formed either by prefixing
some indeclinable word to a 1101111, simple or compound,
as irfa^ ^fa^ or srfasspfasr " as long as life lasts," Trfa9- ^ndj
F^" "as long as the sun and moon endure," W1"*rfs* "to
the extent of one's power ; " or by adding to the same
some adverbial termination (see § G3, etc.) ; thus, ^it^r^.
" like or in the manner of a flower."
COMPOUND VERBS.
97. In Bengali there is really but one species of com-
pound verbs, although the grammarians have extended
their number to no fewer than sixteen, to the great per-
plexity and disgust of the student. Verbs of this kind
arc all formed by combining with the conjunctive past
participle of the leading or principal some other verb
regularly conjugated, tending to modify the sense of the
former. Such compounds may be neatly classed under five
heads as follows : —
a. Intensive^. — These are formed by adding* to the conjunctive
past participle such verbs as (^r-d-j " to throw," (% ^ '• to give,"
or Tfl<i»r <• to go," (and some others to be acquired by practice),
and signify the mtcnscncss of the act ; as ^fsfSTl CWZ\»t u to re-
move,'"' ^fsrsrl (Jr>S»f "to call," cT^TTl *Ti^»T "to take a\vay." In
all these expressions, although t\vo verbs are employed, there is
but one single action described, and that in an intensive decree.
It sometimes happens, lunvcver, that they signify t\vo distinct
acts though closely connected together, as Sff^TJTl ^T^*T •• to seize
and bring-,"' literally, ••having sci/ed to bring," ^ff^r\ ^^ " to
122 BENGALI GRAMMAR.
tell and call," *fi»rr| *rt&W "to send and tell (i.e., to send
word)," Sff?rrl sait^*M "to seize and come." As a general rule,
the second member of the intensive verb loses its own proper
signification ; and, at the same time, conveys to the leading verb
an idea which in English may nearly be expressed by adding
such words as up, off, down, away, etc. : thus, *t1^ii1-c*pei«f "to
eat up," ^iPbVl-Cff^ "to leave off," 3ltfwi-<?ff^ "to knock
down," tfcriiil sr!^ " to go away."
b. Statistical. — These are formed by the conjunctive parti-
ciple with the verb ?Tf«»r, and signify the becoming of what is
expressed by the participle, as ^fsrrl *T|^»J "to be flying," ^H^jTl
STl^R "to be rising." According to the anonymous Bengali, a
species of statistical verb may also be formed by repeating the
present participle and adding to it some other verb regularly
conjugated: thus, f%fsr fft'^T^ ^'tf^'Sf:^ "he or she comes
(in the state of one) singing," Oft ^tf^^5^ fltlf%*T "he or she
ran (in the state of one) weeping." This, however, is probably
an imitation of the Hindustani, which forms its statistical verbs
in a manner precisely similar.
c. Frequentatives, — These arc formed by the conjunctive parti-
ciple with the verb sff^FW "to remain" or "continue," and signify
the habit of doing what is expressed by the participle, as ^f^rrj
STfcW " to be in the habit of doing," flflfwl *Tf^ " to be in the
habit of running," f<d<ib«!l ^f%TT| srf^ "to be in the habit of
reflecting." In like manner by combining with the participle
the verb ^1"$ *i»»j the sense resulting will be that of a persevering
or unremitting action: thus, fjfr *Ta ^f?<Tl "^Tfcnrsc^ "he has
been exerting himself all aloni;'."
(1. Conijrtetives.—Tlicsc arc formed by adding j^ "to have
done," or "to settle," regularly conjugated to the conjunctive
COMPOUND VEItlW. 123
past participle of a verb, as «T|i? V1-J^ "to have done eating."
I have inserted this fonn of compound verb on tlie authority
of the anonymous grammarian alluded to in § 21, a. It is
apparently a Hindi idiom ; and I cannot say I ever met with it
in the few Bengali works I have read. The literal meaning of
JT&3 in Bengfdl is "to mistake," or "to err;" but in Hindi
chuknd with the u short signifies "to have done or completed,"
whereas the verb "to err" is chuknd with the u long. This
double sense of chtikun in Bengali sometimes leads to an am-
biguity : thus, the expression rstfz'ft f^fsnrl $f<- *1 1 f^T may signify
" I have completed the purchase before," or it may mean " I
have erred or done wrong in (this) before now." When the con-
junctive participle is preceded by the negative «r|, the verb
chnkaii retains its literal meaning, as ^Tfa^t «r) «fl>yi j^R-^tf^
" I have done wrong by not selling it before."
e. As a mere matter of curiosity I subjoin, with a few remarks
of my own, the following list of compound verbs from Dr.
Yates' Grammar and that of the anonymous Bengali : — 1 .
jVoininals 'which are formed by uniting any noun or past parti-
ciple with an auxiliary verb, as Spir 3^*1 " to buy,"
"to sell," *tSR ^1 "to go/' ^5rt5ttr=f <^$e\ "to come,"
"to judge," "consider," W9 C?^ " to punish," ^5 ^«l "to
humble," ^r^ ^ZT4! " to bear." ; Now not one of these can be
called a compound verb; it is a simple expression in which a
transitive verb governs the accusative case. 2. 'Double com-
pounds, which are formed by the union of two or more nouns
with a verb, as (»i&H ^Tfa ^^ " to eat and drink,"
^q " to nourish and cherish," fftH' ^rfTf^r^ ^«i or
" to come and go." ' This is precisely the same kind of ex-
pression as the preceding ; the only difference is, that in these
last the accusatives governed by the verb kuran, arc Dwiindwit
124 BENGALI GRAMMAR.
and not single words; but the principle in both is the very
same.
/. Dr. Yates goes on to say, ' besides the preceding1, there arc
several other kinds which arc by some denominated compounds,
and considered to be formed of the present participle ending
with ^T5 and the following verb/ The reverend author here
falls into a mistake by confounding the present participle with
the infinitive. The fact is that the following so-called compounds
are in every instance simple expressions in which one verb
governs another in tlie infinitive mood, as Lindlcy Murray hath
it. Dr. Yates then proceeds, 'among these are reckoned: 3.
dcqnisitives, as Cff*tT3 ^Tl<j»r "to obtain leave to see,"
*tl*?»r "to have leave to go;" 4. Desideratives, as ^f%<
"to wish to do," (iffsfcS Ff^-T '-'to wish to sec;" 5. Inceptive*,
as '$p<ir-5 «rf*f»T " to begin to do," (&rf*ftT« ^^ " to begin to sec ; "
G. Potentials, as ^f?Z3 ^fT?^ " to be able to do," (^fsft~5 ^rt?^
"to be able to sec;" 7- Pcrmi.ssircs, as ^Tf^"^5 C^^^ "to allow to
go," ^rtf^HTS C?^'^ '' to allow to come." '
120
SECTION YT.
SYNTAX, OR THE CONSTRUCTION OF SENTENCES.
OS. The Syntax of the Bengali language is extremely
*/ »
simple, both as regards concord and government. Before
we (niter upon the subject, however, it may not be amiss
to state in a few words what we mean by the term sentence.
I take it for granted, that, when properly analysed, it will
be found that in all languages a simple sentence must
necessarily consist of three parts, expressed or understood :
1st, a nominative or subject ; 2nd, a verb'', and 3rd, a predi-
cate or attribute] as " tire is hot," " ice is cold." In many
instances the verb and attribute are included in one word,
as " the man sleeps," equivalent to "the man is sleeping;"
in which case the verb is said to be neuter or intransitive.
"When, the verb is expressive of an action, and, at the same
time, when the sense is incomplete without stating the
object acted upon, it is called an active or transitive verb,
as "the carpenter made a table;" in which sentence it is
evident that something is required beyond the verb to
complete the sense, for if we merely said "the carpenter
made," the hearer would instantly ask, "made what?"
An intransitive verb also frequently requires some ad-
ditional words to complete the sense : thus, if we merely
say, " Tmmr came," the sense is very vague; but if we
say " Tlmur came to India," the sentence is complete. In
a sentence whose verb is active or transitive, we shall de-
126 EEXGALI GRAMMAR.
signate the three parts as nominative, verb, and object : thus,
the carpenter is the nominative ; made, the verb ; and a
table, the object. When the verb is intransitive we shall
denote the three parts of the sentence as nominative, verb,
and complement : for instance, in one of the above examples,
Tlmur is the nominative ; came, the verb ; and to India,
the complement.
«. It appears, then, that the shortest sentence must consist of
three words, expressed or understood ; and it will be found that
the longest is always reducible to three distinct parts, which
may be considered as so many compound words. For example :
" The scorching1 fire of the dark thunder-cloud utterly consumes
the tall and verdant trees of the forest." In this sentence the
words fire, consumes, and trees, are qualified or restricted by par-
ticular circumstances : still, the complex term, " The scorching
fire of the dark thunder-cloud " is the nominative ; " utterly
consumes " is the verb ; and " the tall and verdant trees of the
forest" is the object. The Sanskrit language, the most philo-
sophic of human tongues, or, as the Brahmans not unreasonably
say, "the language of the Gods," would easily and elegantly
express the above sentence in three words. "The scorching fire
of the dark thunder-cloud " might be thrown into one compound
in the nominative case ; the verb " utterly consumes " would be
expressed by an appropriate preposition in composition with the
verb to consume- and, "the tall and verdant trees of the forest"
might be formed into one compound in the accusative plural.
1). In the arrangement of the three parts of a sentence, dif-
ferent languages follow rules peculiar to themselves ; for instance,
in the sentence, "the elephant killed the tiger," the Latin, Greek,
and Sanskrit languages have the option of arranging the words
in any order that may best please the car. The Arabic and the
Gaelic put the verb first, then the nominative, and lastly the
object. The English and French follow the logical order as we
CONCORD OF SUBSTANTIVES, ETf. 127
have given it; and the Bengal!, like the Hindustan!, and most of
the dialects of India, has also an arrangement of its own, which
we shall now proceed to explain, as our first rule of Syntax or
construction.
99. The general rule for the arrangement of the parts
of a sentence in Bengali is, first, the nominative or agent ;
secondly, the object or complement ; and, last of all, the
verb : thus, <rfa uts t^x^-J " llama is going," ?T5r *f3 ^iiUb?
"Rama is gone," 3t*T ^s/t*^ %r$(.** "llama caught Shyama,"
"the king addressed his sons, who were ignorant of the
shastras, and continually going astray in forbidden paths."
In this last sentence we have a fair specimen of the Ben-
gall arrangement. Sc rclj'd, "the king," is the nominative ;
kahilen is the verb, placed as we have stated at the end
of the sentence; and all the intermediate portion is the
object.
CONCORD OF SUBSTANTIVES, ADJECTIVES, AND PRONOUNS.
100. When two substantives refer to the same person
or thing, they are put in the same case, as ^st^t? <5H
tf^cT "his brother Gopal told me," f%fr ^^P
<K<M "he counts his brother an enemy,"
"the river Ganges," ^fa ^lf%TfT*r "Kalidiis the poet,"
C-> / JL /
•J?CT "the mango fruit."
a. The name of a thing and that of the quantity, measure,
etc. it implies, are put in the same case, as in German : thus,
§^£Vi<l i^. " two seers of milk," •pffF ~s^ £5c\ " five maunds of
oil." In like manner, the name of a vessel and that of the
thing it contained or may contain, when not declined are used
in the same ease, as ^ *f|T[ ^cT " a glass of water," flR
128 BENGALI GRAMMAR.
" three boats (filled with) rice," <<& Tf^pr T?W " a quantity
of rupees contained in one box."
b. The name of a place, animal, or thing, and the word sig-
nifying; it, when not declined, are, with a few exceptions, put in
the same case ; as •s^f*tPffatP? f^f or ^? ^C?f*fFt^t? " the city
of Murshidfibad," ^f?Tt? €t*f "the holy place (called) Haridwar,"
C4TTWt?|Tf stit " the elephant (named) Khodadad." So, also, the
generic name of a tree, when not declined, is either put in the
same case with the word which signifies the tree or part of it, or
is governed by the word, as ^fttf^ w\% or "zfrftt W& "the soondari
wood," TTcT ^TS or *ft£sT3 *TT3 '-'the leaf of the shal-trce,"
or CT'^ Stf" " the teak tree."
c. The two words mentioned together, and agreeing with one
another in case, as shewn in the three foregoing rules, are in
declension considered as one word, and inflected accordingly ;
only the last of them admitting the different inflective termi-
nations : thus, Nom. Tj"5f| •rcrt '•' the river Ganges ;" Gen. 9f^"|
^rift? " of the river Ganges." Nom. '5^'SR ^$ " two maunds of
milk;" Loc. "S^R ^^Z^ "in two maunds of milk."
d. When in a sentence, between the name of the thing used
first, and that of its quantity placed after, a numeral (excepting
the numeral ii)3? "one") intervenes, the sense becomes definite,
as fe -5ft«Tl ft "three jars of ghee," ft f^«r ^rt«r| "the three jars
of ghee." The numeral ^ " one," always renders the noun, to
which it is prefixed or atlixcd, indefinite in signification, as we
have already shewn in § 14.
101. As a general rule, the adjectives in Bengali, as in
English, arc placed before their substantives, but do not
vary with regard to the number, gender, or case of the
latter, as Latin and Greek adjectives do : thus,
"a good boy," ^ <rfac<^1 "good boys;11
CONTOKD OF ADJECTIVES. 120
good girl," ^T TTfet?1 "good girls;
liouso," "stsT Tfft TR-eT "good houses;
good l)oy," UtcT <JH<T-<><1 "of good hoys,
a good girl," «TST Trfwrf^Tre " to good girls ;
" in a ood house."
"
a. Pure Sanskrit adjectives reecive the feminine termination
when qualifying1 animate feminine nouns, but they do not receive
the plural and oblique terminations when qualifying such nouns
in the plural number or oblique eases : thus -i^*it<l <y^ET " a beau-
tiful man," •^•H^t "3ft "a beautiful woman;" Xom. phi. ^^T3
^C<^(:y<11 '-beautiful men," •'.(.•kfl "3?t?fl "beautiful women ;" (ien.
sing. •^•H<1 ^iC^W? •> v<**t<il "5ft? ; (ien. phi. ~3^%~3 ^t^y^lr
but not "1^<rj| ^?^^?1 > ^Jdft?1 "t?T| etc.
b. When another word signifying1 plurality is added to the
feminine noun, the adjective agrees with the former, and not
with the feminine, as "SftTft "3Jf<F5T ^~9"^Tl ^T^TTir-f ^^fpT "the women
being afraid fled." Here ^Jt^T agrees with *t«i, and not with
"3ft , which would have required
c. Inanimate nouns with a feminine termination (which are
often personified) have the adjective occasionally in the feminine,
even when they arc not so personified, as
" the earth is filled with people."
d. Dr. Yatcs on this subject says, ' Some writers go so far as
to make the adjective feminine when it qualifies any noun that
is feminine in the Sanskrit, as i*)"^" ~%fsf or wp^K-1 ?1"?t<r5 <5>ff?'<£fei1
^IC^ "this soil is full of sand." This is an attempt at refine-
ment which is never observed in common discourse, and which
even in writing appears pedantic. It seems most according to
the genius of the language, and therefore best, never to alter
the termination of the adjective, unless it agree with a noun
animate of the feminine gender.'
9
130 BENGALI GRAMMAR.
c. Passive participles, being purely Sanskrit, have the same
concord as adjectives : thus, <5t<^ "sj^sp ^Tl "9T5 ^P^=T f%lf "3ft
?.9 yl tft^ C^T " the man being released fought, but the
woman being released went home ;"
^^ ^1 "although he
had great wealth, yet seeing his various other friends richer he
was not satisfied."
102. The relative pronoun usually precedes its correla-
tive or antecedent (as it is termed in our European Gram-
mars) : thus, f*rfr Wt$ fwtT^w f~sf^ ^srf^t? ftr<:<H " he who
hath given (thee) life, will give (thee) food;" literally, "he
who hath given (thee) life, that same will give (thee)
food : " so c*T <$*& 3PU ^f^s *Tfr? (^ "*R ^f?^^ <pft^ u he who
can do such a deed as this, is capable of doing anything;"
ftfo ^fr?re Wt*r wc$* fsf^ ^:^t ^? <:<H " he who trusts in
God will be happy;" Trl^l ^fsr t^l ^? ^1 ^Tfsr f^ "I will
give you what you wish ;" ^rt^tjl ^"W? f*WC» ^T^rsr ^T^t?1
^^tCTr^ *fiT£^ u they who come to me shall obtain instruc-
tion." Observe that the correlative of ftfr is always f%fr,
and the correlative of c*T is c^ ; the former being the more
respectful, and the latter inferior.
a. From the preceding examples it will be evident that the
relative pronoun in Bengali is used in a manner totally foreign to
the idiom of the English language. In English we say "This
is the man whom I saw," putting first the demonstrative or cor-
relative "this," and appending the relative " whom." But the
idiom of the Bengfili language requires the construction to be
inverted : thus, ^ffr *rTTTC<F (Tff^tf^Tt^ ^ (7^- ^jf^J literally,
"whom J saw, this is that man;" or isTtf^T C*T ^jf^pE^ (iffanrff^t^r
CTT ^"P" literally, " what man I saw, this is he." In these sen-
tences irtTtS^F and C^T are the relatives, and (^~ and OT the de-
monstratives. To place the relative after the correlative is con-
CONCORD OF VEIJIIS. l')l
trary to the idiom of the Bengali language,, and nothing short of
necessity ran excuse it.
I). In sentences like the following, the correlative may option-
ally he used before the relative, as «t<i i<l<:*f<I C*T^~ ~5T0"*IZ^
; or,
"that part of India is called Bengal in which the Bengali lan-
guage is current."
c. When the relative is in the first or second person, it must
be combined with the personal pronoun in the nominative case,
as *ftf^5 (H ^tfw '^TsrfS ^T5 *lf^s» 5Tf^" " I who am ill, have not
such strength."
CONCORD OF VERBS.
103. In Bengali, as in other languages, the verb agrees
with its nominative in person, but not by any means in
number, except in the first person, which is the same in
both numbers. In the second person, the plural verb, as
among ourselves, is generally used with a singular nomi-
native. On the other hand, a plural nominative will have
a singular verb, when the speaker intends to mark supe-
riority in rank, station, etc., on his own part, or contempt
and disrespect towards the persons he addresses. The
third person singular may always have the verb in the
singular, without necessarily indicating that any disre-
spect is implied. At the same time, when great respect
is intended, the singular nominative has the verb in the
plural ; and lastly a plural nominative takes the singular
verb, when disrespect or inferiority is implied.
a. Drs. Carey and Yates, also the anonymous Pandit, have,
I think, very needlessly and even inaccurately, in their Bengali
132 BENGALI GRAMMAR.
grammars, innovated the good old terms of plural and singular
into honorific and common, respectively. In the paradigms of
the conjugation of the verb, I have followed Halhed and
Ilaughton, whose systems arc in accordance with common sense.
Why in the name of goodness puzzle the student with new and
incorrect terms, when the old ones are infinitely better ? The
use of the plural for the singular verb, and vice versa, is not
peculiar to the Bengali alone. It is equally applicable to the
Hindustani, the Marhattl. and, in some degree, to the Persian ;
also to the German and other European languages.
Use and Application of the Tenses, etc.
104. The following remarks on the tenses of the verb arc
chiefly adopted, with numerous additions and corrections,
from the last edition of Dr. Yates' "Bengali Grammar."
In that valuable work they are prematurely introduced at
page 52 ; and, by consequence, at too early a stage of the
student's progress. I conceive them to belong more to the
Syntax than to the Etymology of the language.
a. The Present indefinite tense is used for general statements,
and has no definite reference to any particular time, as fsfr
<K<M "he reads," ^t^t^l iHjrr ^~$ "they labour," <?rf%?1
"birds fly." The student may here observe that in this first
example the singular nominative has a plural verb, out of respect
for literature. In the second and third examples the plural
nominatives have a singular verb, for reasons that will be obvious
from what we stated in § 103.
In familiar conversation and vivid description, it is sometimes
used in a past sense, as wf^tfr C<T ^T^ fesR ^ITT? ^Tfa "Sf^Tt^
•Tj " I did not understand the meaning of the letter you wrote,"
^•~3J ^srff^T r»T"5R ^fTT <^R ^WST *Ttfy5 s^cTT^T "I became sick just
at the time 1 was dining yesterday." It is also sometimes used
ATl'IJCATION OF THE TENSES.
ill the sense of the future, as ^f?r f% Tfbt *Tf^"31 "will you go
home ?" ^srlfir *rtt" " I KO" '•<'• " "'ill go."
b. The Present definite is used to express an act or event now
in progress, hut not yet completed, as ^srtfsr forfeit ifV " I am
(no\v) writing," f%fr <TT^ ^T^Cii^*? "he is (now) reading." This
is as much as if the speaker had added, " I have not yet done
writing or reading."
c. The Past indefinite tense is used to express time past, when
referring to an event or act which is spoken of as being only one
in a scries or narrative. By using this tense the speaker indi-
cates either that he will immediately tell what came next, or
that he supposes his hearer to know what followed. It is there-
fore used in narratives, as f^sfsr \5f$ ;U<> <3^~ 3-3T1 f&i % t *1'1 <T<JC?H
" he asked him this question," c^T ^T^tW <^" ^1F? fw " he gave
him this answer."
This tense is also frequently used to denote an event which
has happened just now or very recently, and sometimes even one
which is expected to happen the next moment, and then it cor-
responds with the perfect, the present, and sometimes even with
the future in English : thus, ^flfsr ^1^1<r S-f^sllW " I have taken
my food, just now ;" t>\'s^ ^f^TtfT >iwy ^ y\ '-'it is time to go;"
^rrf^r ^ »f3r f%f«mt5T '•' I write this letter;" ^«H ^Tfr (Tfwt?
^^TT? ^r»-2ft^r Tf^TT^ "now I understand the meaning of your
discourse;" ^rjfsr Ff^Tl^r " I am off, or on the point of going;"
that man will be tumblin into the water.''
(/. The Ini])crfect tense represents an action or event in pro-
gress at some time past, but not then finished, as fjfsr "^rfrrfi!^
;^rr*rt5 ^fesfe^ t"fe^^ ^ ^ni\^ c^ri " y°u camc UP Jusit
at the time he was striking me."
c. The Perfect tense represents an action as recently com-
134 BENGALI GRAMMAR.
pletcd, and at the same time as unconnected with any subsequent
act or event, as ^rffr 4>]^id<t? C^ ^«Ti <t-f\yif^ " I have told him
that affair ;" ^1 CTt^jl ^ftirf^ "that you have heard." Occa-
sionally, as in the French language, it denotes an event which
took place some time ago, as <£(s^ 3F2t1 ^s^lc^; "such a report
has spread abroad or has become (common) ;" ^f% f% C^tSH
^f<I*rr&>; " have you dined ? " Cwt§^ <-f<iyir§[ " I have " (that is,
some time ago). This differs from the imperfect, yfa f% *tt^Tl
"have you dined ?" «Tt^rf^ " I have " (just now). The perfect
and pluperfect are compounded of the past indefinite participle
and the auxiliary verb, as
/. The Pluperfect tense represents the action as prior to some
other point of time, usually specified in the sentence, as f\ifa "§"<[
•T| "'he had come from a far country, but the people were not
prepared to receive him." The pluperfect is sometimes used when
no other point of time is specified ; in these cases it shows, either
that the event took place in ancient times, or that it has now
lost its importance, as <£TTFt<»<n ^^" ^«fl ^f^lTtf^T^R " this was a
saying of the ancients," literally, "the ancients had proclaimed
this saying;" ^t^T? T5 \^ ^irff^r "he had great trouble."
g. The Future tense represents what is yet to come : it may
be used definitely or indefinitely as to future time, and admits of
no distinction for slid 1 1 and trill, as fsfa J)"^" ^~tT^ "5Tfr>i£<H " he
will come hither ;" ^^ ^Z*fj£ ^R? ^T3; " the sun will rise to-
morrow;" ^t^?1 £T3~5 3$~3. "^'e shall be ready." In respectful
language the future is used for the imperative, as sr^t*nr ^r-^ifsr
^f<r?rl "^rt^TtZ^ ^^ ^J^S^ fwtt^t "be kind enough, sir, to give me a
book." In predictions it is used in the same manner, as
be desolate."
APPLICATION OF THE TENSES. Io5
" his house shall be desolate," or •'< let his house
h. The Conditional tense is employed to represent the fre-
quency of any action, i.e. to signify what has been the usual
course, custom or habit of the agent, as fsfr TTrPF ^IT^T st'zWT
"he was accustomed to pay great attention to
study in his youth;"
"at that time he used to come to me daily." It is also used
much like the French conditional mood, in which case it should
always, in English, be translated by the subjunctive mood and
pluperfect tense, as ^ifa VT^T*T f%lf x*i<l<t-t*f ftTo^rjTr »r| " ]
would or should have gone, but found no opportunity."
i. The Imperative mood is confined in its application chiefly
to the second and third persons : (?<t " see," Of*f^ or (tf*to " let
•*• (S^ V <K V
him or them see." The forms c?*t and 0ff*t<? of the second
person plural differ a little. (Tf^t refers to the present occasion
only; (Jff*t« is of general or permanent application.
105. As the difference between the Past Indefinite, the
Perfect, and the Pluperfect, presents not a few difficulties,
the following remarks may not be unacceptable to the
learner. In the first place, they differ as measures of the
distance of time. The Past Indefinite states what has hap-
pened/?^ now, or a little wldle ayo ; the Perfect that which
has happened some time ago ; the Pluperfect that which lias
happened long ago. Secondly, they diii'er as to the objects
lo which they direct attention. The Past Indefinite directs
attention not so much to the act or event itself, as to its
attendant circumstances, such as time, place, manner, ra-
pidity, recency, or to that which foil need next. The Perfect,
directs attention to the fact itself, as being- either important
or historically true. The Pluperfect directs attention to
136 BENGALI GRAMMAR.
the circumstance that the fact is of an old date, or no longer
of any great interest or importance. Lastly, they differ in
this, that in connected narratives the Past Indefinite and
Pluperfect alone arc used ; the past indefinite being the
leading tense. The Perfect occurs chiefly in conversation
and argumentative discourses.
«. The following examples will in some degree illustrate what
has been just stated: viz. f^fsr C^^ti^S 'srf^CcTT "he came by
boat." Here attention is directed to the mode of conveyance;
he came by boat, not by land. f$fr C^1^1T^5 ^ifvi^U^ " he
came by boat." Here attention is directed to the fact of his
having1 come, as one that admits of no doubt, or that is impor-
tant to the hearer, fsfr c^l^TTS ^tf^Vtf^C^ " he came by
boat." This implies cither that his having1 come is an old story,
or no longer of any great importance, or else that he subse-
quently exchanged the boat for some other conveyance or place
of abode. Again, 3F=2T ^rff^T ("5T ^"Hr^r (Tf?Tf^ « I went there yes-
terday." Here attention is directed either to the place or the
time, but not mainly to the act itself." 3-^j" ^5flf*T CT ^~1T»T fVfrnf^
" I did go there yesterday." Yesterday being so near the present
time, this phrase would not be used, except to call attention to
the fact that I went, as being either important or unquestionably
true, ^w ^TffsT (^ ^T^ f*nrrf^«rfr " * wcnt there yesterday."
This at once implies that my going there yesterday was only
introductory to, or has since been followed by, some other event
of greater importance or interest. Lastly, ^tfa st^rt^ f5T^~ ^«T|
^fTTff^ " J told him that affair." Here the speaker supposes that
his telling may be of some importance to the hearer, or else that
the fact should not be doubted. So 3t^1 C*T^?1 ^sf^^T^" $*& ^Tl
3.9. TTf£§> '-you heard that such a report has spread abroad." Here
the report is important to the hearer, or else its having spread
has been doubted, ^ttft^l ^t~ W ^f^TtfesR " the ancients
said this." Here the tense indicates that it was verv Ionic airo.
USE AND APPLICATION OF T1IK VKUI5AL NOUNS. Io7
1). In the following examples the Past Indefinite is idiomati-
cally employed to express present time: vfsrsr ^-f^TffT >l*jy ^o ^
"it is time to go." This indicates, that a little earlier might
have been too early, and that a little later might be too
late, $,^VlC5[ would not imply either. ^srffa <i)^~ *f3 fsrfarsrfsr
" I write this letter." Here the writer fancies himself talking to
his correspondent when opening the letter, and saying to him,
" I wrote this letter." 4*R ^~ffr C5t*Tt? ^Tf? ^rf»-2filT if^rfr
" now I understand you." The exaet idea is, " now I have
caught the meaning of your words." ^tfa bfarf'Sj " I am
going." Here the speaker fancies himself walking otf already,
and turning round to tell the hearer, " I am gone." <«? srT3~ ?r
SrCciCxi «tf^f "that man will be tumbling into the water." Here
the speaker is so excited that he anticipates what he expects to
see the next minute. This idiom, however, is very rare.
r. We only add one important remark more; viz. that the
consequences of an event stated in the Pluperfect, are supposed
to be completely past ; and those of an event in the Perfect are
supposed to have continued ever since; those of an event in the
Past Indefinite are supposed to follow it immediately, and there-
fore not to continue long; they may be Past or Present or
Future. As an illustration of the three ways of expressing the
Present tense, we subjoin the following examples : ^sffr ^TfTl
^fsTEcR, ^T^l ^Ttfr ^f%sTT^T " I understand what you say," literally,
"I have understood what you have just said." ^rf^rf^ *Tf^1 ^£5R,
^\^\ ^tfa Wtf*T " 1 know what you say," i.e. " what you are apt
to say or in the habit of saying." ^Tf^ffr *rf^1 ^fac^gr^, 31T1
^rffsr ^f^Tsf^; " I understand what you say," i.e. " my compre-
hension keeps pace with your words."
Use and Application of the Verbal Nouns.
100. Under the term vcrlal noun, I include the gerund
in Tl (ride p. -1C) : thus, the forms <TT<^, (f*n and (*ff«m all
138 BENGALI GRAMMAR.
denote "a seeing;" they are mostly used in the genitive,
instrumental, or locative cases, but seldom in the nomina-
tive: thus, OrftW?, 0?*tT?r, (W^n^ "of seeing;" offttttre,
C*F*T|7T5, C*f*lW£-4 "by or in seeing." The form CJf«fl7T5 most
commonly means " in consequence of having seen," or
" because of having seen."
a. The gerundial form of the verbal noun ( O?f*ft1 ) is never used
in its simple state as a nominative; but the other three cases of it,
as given above, are most commonly employed like the Latin
gerund. Its genitive case is sometimes followed by another
noun, and sometimes by a postposition, as ^t"g» ?5f*fTt? ^t«T " the
time of sowing the seed," flff^ftt? 3Ft?1 or W& or frfsjw " for
the sake of seeing."
b. The gerund in Tl and the verbal noun in ^r| when in the
locative form, do in most instances stand in the absolute state,
and convey nearly the same signification as the participle in 9 tz\
(of which, more hereafter), as ^tfij i*)^ 3?«fl <tftf<f£^ or ^f^TTtTr
(or <f«l<:cri) fifa <Tff^n ^f3ZcT»T " I having said this word, he flew
into a passion ;" <3rf*rf<r ^ ^«T| t&fcs or -g^rjir f%f^ ?Tf^?n
'upon my saying this word, he flew into a passion."
Use and Application of the Participles.
107. The Present Participle ending in ^T5 is sometimes
employed like the ablative absolute in Latin : thus, fw*i
i "work while it is day;" Fsfr srrtrs ^rff^
when he departed, I came." It is also employed
by repetition, to express the continuance or repetition of an
act, as c*T ^Tterl ^f?lT!^ C*tre fft^ ^rf^/5 5^«\ u he continuing
liis journey at last arrived at home;" fsr fr^l ^f?^"5^. <r$
^5T "he continuing to have cares grew old," i.e. "grew
old by anxiety."
USE AND APPLICATION OF THE PARTICIPLES. 13 J
a. With regard to the second form of the present participle in
as ^<T5 " doing," Dr. Vates says, ' It is to he regarded as a
corruption of the Sanskrit present participle ending in^^,as
wt^ " to live;" ^ffa1*, "living." By whom the corruption was
introduced is uncertain, but it is not found in the earliest poetical
writings in Bengali. The form ^<T5 etc. is as abhorrent to the
genius of the Bengali language, as it is contrary to the Sanskrit.
In the Sanskrit it is 3^t " doing," and the Bcngfdi scarcely ever
<S.
admits a final a, as karata, at the end of a word, except it be a
Sanskrit past participle, or a word ending with a double con-
sonant. Any one who wishes to be satisfied that it is a corrup-
tion contrary to the genius of the Bengali language has only to
apply it to verbs in general, and say Ot*T5? ^|<-4, TTt^S, ^S^rs,
C<E>vj>, srH3, etc. He will soon perceive that there is some great
defect either in his language or in the understanding of his hearers.
The grammarians that have admitted this form have not ventured
to apply it to more than one or two verbs, which shews that it
is a corruption ; and as such it ought to be avoided by those who
wish to attain a pure style. It is to be regretted that in the
case of two verbs, 3F?*! and ^^, this barbarous participle should
be extensively used by the writers of newspapers.'
108. The Past Conjunctive Participle in irt serves to
connect all the members of a sentence having the same
agent, and so supersedes the use of copulative conjunctions,
as ^1^U<i? Off^Tl F^4! *n%m ^cws"^? 3-f^ef "having seen him
and fallen at his feet, he cried with a loud voice;"
^s *ii
?=T "afterwards, having obtained no redress, and
being sadly distressed, he returned, weeping as he went,
and entered into his house." This participle may also bo
followed by, and in point of time relatively agree with, a
verb in the present, past, or future tense, as csr frf?fl
" he goes and sees," c^T frfni (wfs^T u he went and saw,"
140 BENGALI GRAMMAR.
" lie will go and see." It is sometimes con-
nected with the infinitive mood, and stands in the place of
an infinitive, as ?rtefl ^Tc* sfert ^tfrre ^TT^1 %*T^ " the
king ordered them to seize and bring him ;" so that «d?m
^rtfsnrs is equivalent to *\Tn-i> ^ "^rff^s . This is not an
anomalous but the regular use of the participle, for it
always agrees with the verb that follows next : hence, as
is equivalent to srf?TCsR ^ ^rtfrs^, so
is equivalent to
a. Whatever number of participles in TTl may occur in a sen-
tence, they are never to be connected together as in English by
conjunctions, as <£&*! ^«T| ^f^TTl f^TSf (ff^r^TS *t*rtTTW ^f?Tl ^T^
CPfT*t fayl <2JTf^t 5,0 'ill <ytf%^T " hearing tliis account, fleeing from
his country, going into another country, being a sojourncr, he
remained/' i.e. "when he heard this account, he fled from his
own country, went into a foreign one, and there remained a
stranger."
b. The past conjunctive is often combined \vith the participle
in c«T to prevent the too frequent repetition of the former. In
such cases the participle in ^"?n is used in the former parts of
the sentence and that in (^ at the close, as ^rff^r (T^T ^ITW fVjrrl
^iTft^ "ST^lT? f^?1 ~5Tt?T?T *T3 C5T <'i^»)r ^f%5T " after I had gone
thither, given him the information, and returned, he departed."
109. The Advcrlial Participle in c^T may have the same
agent as the verb that follows, or a different one. The
latter is most commonly the case, as fsrsTJl 3?«H ^f$T
"what good will you get by lying?"
*rf^ " when ho comes, I will go." In the
former case it is usually put before the nominative case,
and almost always indicates an uncertain contingency, as
if or when I get leave, I will
rsE AM) APPLICATION OF THE PAKTiriri.ES. Ill
come;" but ^rTfsr f^Ft? er^n •srTfrre moans, " I will tako
leave and come." Sometimes *t? or *rc? must be supplied,
as ^rt^T? *r<id«l (*>!•£?) ^BTtfa srftN' " I will go after I have
eaten;" but ^rffr ^T^t? *f?m ^5< means, "I will eat
and o."
r/. Where if and W/ew arc used in English, this participle in
is commonly used in Bengali, as fsfr ^f^t? <Tf^1 fsTW ^f?^T
"if he grunts me my desire, I shall he satisfied;"
"when he stretehed
out his hand, it was made whole or well."
b. If the conjunction ^? is added to this participle, it gives the
idea of aft/iong/1, and is equivalent to having employed the con-
junction ir§jf^f " though," at the beginning of the sentence, fol-
lowed hy ^«rtf«t "yet," in the latter part, as c^T <T^t5R ^f?^T«
^ ^?r =r|, or irgn% (^ C^tSt^ ^?, ^5«TlfH ^ ^[ *r\ " though he
may cut, he is not satisfied."
c. The postpositions ^ or *ft? may optionally he added to
this participle, as Sf«T C^iZ=T (*f<r) ^t(^Jdk<l "5^i*t ^T "when pro-
perty is lost, men are in trouble." It is sometimes, particularly
in conversation, used to express option or choice, as Off^T^T
Gff^S *Tf£? " he can sec, if he chooses," or " if he would look,
he might see."
d. The adverbial participle corresponds in most instances with
that which is called in Sanskrit, the locative absolute ; in Latin,
the ablative absolute ; and in Greek, the genitive absolute. It
is, however, to be observed in Bengal], that the noun or pronoun
nominative to the participle, in the absolute case, is never modi-
fied into the locative, ablative or genitive case, as in the above
learned languages : thus, ^T£rfi?!I ^T5f ^TW^t? "£J ^T "the sun
rising (i.e. while the sun riscth), darkness Hies away;" or, as
old Ruddiman hath it, " Sole orientc fugiunt tcncbracj"
142 BENGALI GRAMMAE.
] "be speaking they do not
attend," i.e. "when he speaks or while he speaks, they do not
attend;" $t<tfl C^fel <?F<l?:c1 «pf <2ftS ?A«T "they seeking, obtained
wealth."
110. The Perfect passive or intransitive participle ending
with ^5 is derived entirely from the Sanskrit, and is used as
in that language, or as the past or passive participles of
verbs in English and other languages, as (
"lie being fallen is not able to rise;
f?cT " he having been defeated fled." It is
often used instead of a substantive with the verb "to do,"
as (Fl? \5T$fTc^ ^s ^rf^cT or c^t5 ^tc^ %w\ <?f<ici u the thief
killed him."
111. The Sanskrit Adjectival Participles formed by
adding TT, ^ftir, and \5^J, are employed to express the
necessity, capability ', or fitness of the thing to be done, as
^t}/*jy "that must be inferred;" ^^t?T "that is capable
of being done;" ?$^t? "that is deserving of being
punished;" ^^^J " what ought to be done;" 4^><J "what
should be spoken." These greatly resemble the Latin
passive participle ending in dus.
GOVERNMENT OF SUBSTANTIVES AND ADJECTIVES.
112. One substantive governs another, signifying a dif-
ferent thing, in the genitive case ; and, as a general rule,
the governing word is placed after the word it governs, as
?tw fari " Kama's father," ?tc*T? frfsrrs " for the sake of
Kama," ?tw^ fW? ^T^ " with Kama's father." The same
rule applies to all postpositions (§ 68) Avhich, as we have
shewn, arc substantives, generally in the locative case. At
GOVERNMENT OF NOUNS. 143
tlic same time, we may observe, that the governing word,
Avhether noun or postposition, is frequently combined Avith
the nominative case of the word governed, as a Tatpurusha
compound (vide § 94).
a. When a vessel is mentioned, as containing a tiling, or spe-
cially constructed for one particular use, then the name of the
thing or use is put in the genitive case, as ^C^j<r Tti^ " a milk-
cup," or "a cup made to contain milk specially;" ^Tf? VSWN "a
cotton godown (or warehouse)," i.e. "a godown containing cot-
ton or built to hold cotton ;" ^1Z»T? F3" " a bathing-tub/' or "a
tub specially made for or used in bathing."
b. When a vessel is mentioned, as specially constructed to
contain a thing, which is not then contained in it, the word ^t«fl
"keeping" or <Ttf^Tf? " of keeping," is often placed after the
name of the thing (which is used in the accusative form without
C^) and before the noun signifying the vessel, as ^^fsfjf f*rf*T,
^"sfk <rf*fl f*ff*T or *Nf*t ?rtfet? f*rf*r "a small medicine-
bottle," or "a small bottle wherein to keep medicine;"
" an indigo-box," " a box for keeping indigo."
c. When an adjective, in qualifying a person or thing, has
concern with another, then it generally requires the latter in the
genitive case, as f^ifr s-H-dd? ^rTw, fer?T, orfvf^vS "he is respected,
beloved or blamed by every body ;" (3T <1"?5<r ^Tf»r, ^cfJ or 5T5
"he is similar to a beast;" fsfsf ^1"? ^^"STa1 "he is worthy of
this;" ^l^q^rl ^US^ ^^J " Bruhmaus are venerable (in the
eyes) of the Shoodras."
d. Adjectives meaning necessary, fit, becoming, incumbent, or
the like, require the noun (expressing the person, thing, or use
for which it is necessary, etc.) in the genitive case, and the verb
(if any) expressing the action which is necessary, etc. in the form
of the verbal noun in ^1, and not in the infinitive, a^s in English :
141 EEXGALI GRAMMAR.
thus, <<15F5 Wl f5t*Tt<r ^rt"^S2^ or fF5 " it is necessary or proper
for, or incumbent upon you to do so;" f$f^ ^Iff? ^*nciJ» "^c is
worthy of or fit for this;" CSt^Tf? (^T^tTE^ ^rf^frl ^f^5 or <?«?<u
"you ought to go there."
113. The comparative degree is expressed by construing
the adjective with the noun in the ablative case ; the super-
lative by construing it with 3JW, as
there is no one dearer to me than you;"
^ " you are the best or one of the best
of men." Numerals also require srcsj, as (•JWt<5tC4l^
"five of the boats sunk."
a. The various modes of forming comparative sentences, are
hest illustrated by a few examples : thus, ^jTT ^S/tw^s C4> Foa or
f<S3\t)<l , or ^s/T^T ^"C^t^l <Tf^ f<"53 or f^aa4<i " Rama is wiser than
Shyama;" ^^UW? ^TC^T^I (?9(T5 or C^T^T) ?1^T CWW or <Tt^
etc. (^w "Rama is younger than they;"
r^ft^r refS' or sr^ft^f *ft%^cc?^ c^rr c^
"Nuddia is smaller than Santipur;" j^ TT^«T ;:;5n:^f:5Fj fr& or
ei Rama is the wisest of all;" ^T^tCTT? >l<t-?1^s> d-4 ftw or
<Tt5T Rama is the wisest of them all ; " <j»r>iyl '5T^T C^
r*r? c^^ir <?r>i^i TS, ofr*r?[ sn:^; ?Ff^nri ^^ or
? ^ <^r»iJl " Russia is the largest of countries ; " <r
or sT3 , ^Fffff T^ef "^sni^rsFl or e c
" Rama is the best of all ;" « (Tjrrw ^t~r J) (iiJ^ sr7^ " this is just
as good as the other is bad;"
r<[ rs^r or c^r^^
Tf^f5T<r " such as is our Kalidasa, so is Shakespeare among
the English."
l>. rJ"hc onl difference between ^rc^T^I, y"CS and c^rr is,
f;ovi;uNMi:vr OF vi:i;i;s. 1 i-")
that $"^T~5 and "sr^r^Fl arc used after the nominative singular and
genitive plural form of nouns signifying rational objects, and
after the nominative form of other nouns singular or plural,
whereas (F£TT is used after the genitive form of nouns of any
kind or number; and is scarcely used in the "3Frf*r»T*ri or •• cor-
rect language/'
r. The regular terminations ~s$ and ~s^ are little used in I'en-
gali ; now and then only they appear, when the natives are sur-
prized to see them, as f5Tsrfs» ^ "£ 5 ^^ feflTi^ " he is more
beloved than you," ^TtTlZir^ ziZty fsfr foWs-J' '• he is the wisest
among them." The adjective "tTfsf '-good," in the former part
of the sentence, and ^»t=T *tt? '• not good," in the latter part, are
sometimes used to express the comparative degree, as tS^Tf-r j\^
<5t3f ~vV*\ f%U T3*. ^C«I ^3 "»T?T sf^?- '-one good son is better than
hundreds of foolish or bad ones." To sentences of this kind
^o "rather," is frequently prefixed, as ^° ^w Tt~*T ~»T=T ^^Ttf^f
^f^r?^ ?TtSff? ^T? ^TT "»T^ 5T£T '•' it is better to dwell in a forest
than in the city of a foolish king."
GOVERNMENT OF VERBS.
114. A transitive or active verb, having one object,
governs it in tlie accusative case, as <nrr ^&T^^ sjf?^T-
" Kama caught Shyama;" <rfa <it^ ^rf^s^w '-Erima is
reading a book."
a. Verbs of gii'ing, shewing, or communicating in general,,
govern two objects, of which the one gii-cn, slicwu. or communi-
cated to, has the (dative or accusative) termination ($ expressed,
whereas the other elegantly sailers the elision of it : thus. Tptf
^srfaT^ 3^/1 iflw^f^^TST '• Rfuna gave his daughter to Shyf.ma In
marriage) ;" fsfr ^rW^ ^^ ^rfs ^"^5T ^TT^ cw^rt^irf^-w -• he
has shewn to me a very good garden ;" ^rrfTT ^ITT^ T^?T
"I have communicated to him the whole affair."
140 BEXGALI GRAMMAR.
I. Transitive verbs, when formed into causals, and a few
others, govern two objective cases, as fsfr ^srfsTtir^ TT3T
"he taught me the shastras,"
" I asked him this question,"
"this is what he said to me," J)^~
" make this gold into ear-rings," ^rffr CSTTtC^ ^ ^T^ ^f? " I
value you as a straw."
c. A transitive verb which in the active voice governs two
cases (as in the above rule), does in the passive voice retain the
one having the termination (^ expressed, and agrees with the
other, as ?r|Tsr<r ^3fl *STf5T<^ Jfirl ^Tfr^ " Rama's daughter has
been given to Shyfuna (in marriage) ;" ^sT^~
"a situation has been given to him;" \5lTt£3?
" everthin has been communicated to him."
(1. Verbs signifying " to take out " or " receive," etc. govern
the accusative of the tiling taken out or received, and the
ablative of the place or the person from which it is taken out or
received, as ^t^Wff? ^Ts f%^ ^T^rs? Tff^? ^fy?Tl '^T^ " take out
some papers from the almyra;"* ^fsr ^I7rt? ^"f^? ^t* 5 » c«,
^TC^ or fnw\> <F3 Ff<f1 ^rf^"T( " how much money will you get from
me?" Verbs signifying emanation or motion from a place, govern
the ablative case, as sr? 5^~<Ts Ttnr? «f 3 " come out of the house;"
C^T *ff^ ^trs ^f^\ fr\-$-ftT$ « he fell oif a tree." Native Gram-
marians say that all persons and things from whom or which
there is a departure, fear, reproach., defeat., receiving, origin,
* The word almyrn is a corruption of the Portuguese Almnrin or Almeira. In Ben-
gall it denotes a "bureau," " chest of drawers," or "bookcase." We have the word,
however, in common use to this day in the "braid Scotch" and provincial English under
the forms " anirie,'' " awnirie," and " almarie." With us it denotes "a cupboard or
safe, where food and cooking utensils arc laid up."
" Steek the am/-i?, lock the kist,
Else some gear may \vcel be mist ;
Donald Caird finds orra things,
Allan Gregor iaund the tin^s."
WALTER SCOTT.
GOVERNMLNT OF VERBS. 117
preservation, rent, disappearance, and jircrcntion, are put in the
ablative case; but it \vill be found upon examination that the rule
embraces not merely these words, but is of far more extensive
application.
e. Verbs signifying motion to or rest at or /// a place, and
those verbs the action of which is referred to a place or time,
require the place or time in the locative case, as ~~si\^ sfz?
*rTf~<r5f^ "I am going home," f$fr Tff&T5 '^R(?»l "he is at
home," 4'^'jJH Wt^T? IT*R fif^T "SlTf? Tfl&rs £R WS\ s"^T^ " a
meeting is to be held at his house on the 10th of this month/'
/. The verbs crfsfa and (^^ « to stick," '-to adhere," etc. and
verbs of similar signification, require the locative of the objects
to which they stick or adhere, as TlTt? C^Wl ^Tl? C^fe
or ^5Tf^f%7T - his boat stuck on a sand-bank." But when ^
impersonally means " to hurt," its object, if an entire animate
body, is put in the accusative, otherwise in the locative case, as
^T^tc<r- ^5 sTif^T^ " it has hurt him severely," i.e. "he has
been severely hurt;" ^rf^T? 'Ff^"»r ^17T3 ^5 crffarrft^r " he has
injured his rig-ht hand." Sometimes one of such words as (Wsrj,
37«n "a hurt," ^Tl, ^rW1?, "a stroke," etc., is used immediately
before cTfsfw , as ^ ^?fTr3 ^t^T<T ^ ^<t *T\ , (<W\ , ?;j^n or
" this word has hurt his feelins."
g. If the first member of a compound verb, ending1 in ^<i "to
do/' is itself (made) the object of the verb, then the noun or
pronoun before it, is put in the genitive, otherwise in the accu-
sative case, as <TT3ff3 ^if^J C*T "5^X3 W*& - * f*(i:2?
— or
"it is the duty of a king to root out vice and to plant virtue
by crushing the wicked and cherishing the virtuous." When,
however, a compound verb is formed by adding 3T<r«i to the
adjective or passive participle, it generally governs the noun or
148 BENGALI GRAMMAR.
pronoun before it in the accusative case, as
^Tfa CSt^rfa^- ^Tls <t-f<l< "cure me, and I will make you
satisfied."
h. When one noun is followed by another, which signifies a
different thing1 and forms part of a compound verb ending- in
jjf-8«T (or is prefixed to $f^»r), it is often used in the genitive, and
sometimes in the nominative form : thus, c£f^ ^^fsfiTS C^Tfa
(?T£'>t? "*Tt~^ or (^fTf *rTf% 3^~C33 "this medicine will cure your
disease." The third person singular of the present tenses of the
verb 3"^, is often annexed to nouns signifying appearing, feeli)ig
or perceiving in general, in order to form verbs of the same
signification ; such verbs arc (considered) impersonal, and require
the nouns or pronouns, preceding the nouns, to be in the genitive
or dative case; as <«) ^5rW<^ or ^5TW? ~$~5 ^T7^ Wfa ^T^r^" " this
appears to me very bud;" ^TJ^rtZ^ <>r "^t^t? C3Tl"< $[¥ (*r f^fr <4
3-sj3[4iT<r ^=T "it seems to me that he is at the bottom of this con-
spiracy;" <? «fl»TF| f%|r cTff^l CTt^t ^T3T^ " I feel a slight pain
there." Sometimes the noun or pronoun signifying the person
to whom reference is made, is put in the accusative, when the
noun or pronoun signifying the person making the reference is
used in the genitive case, as *? ^t^T^T^ ^T^Tt^
'• that boy a}>pears to me to be very sly."
11-3. The intransitive passive verbs of the Sanskrit form
are for the most part active in signification, as flf^r ^•art^
<r-5TJ ^^rf^i f^irR^r " IK; arrived here yesterday ;" ^1 <£TT8
^ •rtt" UI have not received it/' The intransitive passive
inflections of the Bengali form are not in use, except in
that of the third person singular, which, though im-
personal, is commonly used and understood as the first
personal : thus, ^rT? Wl~5^ Trftrs *rft? ^1 means literally " it
cannot he stood any longer," but cominonly UI or we
cannot stand aiiv longer."
(JOVEUXMEXT OF VEKJiS. 1 I'.)
<t. The passive inflections of most of the transitive verbs.
formed by adding TTf^ to tbe Uengfdl {tussive participle. are not
idiomatically in use, excepting one, viz. tliat of tbe third person
singular, liefore this inflection, the nouns and pronouns signi-
fying rational beings of the second or third person, and of any
rank, are idiomatically put in the accusative form; irrational
animals are used often in the accusative; the other nouns arc
put in the nominative form : thus, i3«rtT»T ^F^Tjl <JT;?5f<f«it ^TTh
5Tf9 C< " a tank will be dug here " (jf*TI Ht^"^ f~sf»f ct-^'f C^Tf^ -it
shall be seen what manner of man he is."
110. One verb governs another that precedes it and
depends upon it in the infinitive mood, as
all began to reproach him ;
?n "he was not able to reply;" s
C£f?£l ^ " send a person to bring them ; "
^rtr? »r| ~&tt 3$ wnt^ c^nr^i ^f?rs ^^T u if all can-
not come, tell (them) to send one person/'
a. The infinitive is sometimes governed by an adjective, as
fslrrf? >is?si ^rf? fr"3!^ "^^ ^5rrfrr3t?r ^t?ci ^-fsii:* c*rf2r ?•§ •• you
arc the fit person to speak of your own welfare and the cause of
your coming into this solitary wood;" 3Tf^T<r|
they arc unable to do this work;"
'* be is able to do this work."
//. The verbal noun ending1 in ^rl, when it admits of being con-
strued as a nominative, and occasionally as an objective, is often
used instead of the infinitive mood, as 3ZW Tf^T Wl "sT^T 3*~ ^T^"
?rm "Fl^T •TJT "to dwell in a wood is better than to remain in this
place;" i^STS 3-STl 3T^| CSt^lirfr^ WF3 *r^';it is not proper for
you to say such things ;" ^^"^^ C£T% ^?1 "^^rf^? ^~<j~3J '• it is
our duty to love God;" ^tfw C5t5Tf? CW«T| ^ff^'^TTtsr "' I gained a
sight of vou." When this form of the verbal noun ends in (3 it
150 BENGALI GRAMMAR.
is generally used in the sense of "because;" as ^Tfat?
W("3 3"«rsri7r5 fsfr <fc1C4 *ftC<FT " lie can say by his knowing or
because he knows my custom." The other form of the verbal
noun, though less frequently used, has the same construction; as
(Tf ?p?f ^f^^T? <Ff?sl or ^3£<?|<[ ^t?«i or ^<rf3 ^T?1 fsfr ^1^'CsR "he
came for the purpose of doing that work."
117. The gerund in Tl governs as a verb, but is governed
as a noun, and therefore in the genitive case; as c^rtz^
Cfff*r^T? "GZ® fsfr 4^" ^"fW -srf^sR » hc came hither for the
purpose of seeing you ;" 4 ^«fl ^f^<rt3 >Wdijs? ^ts~t?fl ^t^~fe^
?"5C 3f?sT " at the very time of his uttering these words they
killed him ;" ^Tg; <^p c?T^«i ^r^Tf? ^T?«i ^"5rrr^ f^rirTc^T "the
master has gone into the garden to plant a tree." This
same gerund, when connected with the word srtay, is al-
ways used adverbially, as c^r sTf^T^t^) ^rf^ttrfTfr^ sjf^r " he
immediately upon his going out seized them;" C5^ vwft>f?[
^ft^^t^t^ TT^TCJf? CF^T c^t*t f^=r "the news when received
distressed them generally."
a. The gerund in Ti is used instead of the infinitive when
governed by a noun or an adjective, as
'•'it is now time to go;" fSt^t? ^?t ^Tt?
'•'it is necessary for you to cross the river;"
" what is not to be, cannot be ; and what is to be, that cannot
be otherwise."
118. Adjectival participles sometimes govern the instru-
mental case, but most commonly the genitive ; as ^Tf^i^
•sTC7^ fernrrs ^fs ^IRJ srcr "an attempt should not be
made in an affair which endangers life ;" c^^" ^^f ^?1
^^J "we ought to do that work;" ^ ^r
r «rTS7 "this wood must be abandoned by us;"
GOVERNMENT OF VKKI1S.
fw "the duty of serving is
very hard; it is impracticable even by ascetics."
110. All nouns and pronouns indicating time or place,
and all those which being used adverbially an.' preceded in
English by at, in or into, lo or unto, on or upon, Ity or near
to, must be in the locative case, as f~$fo f% tfty "srtw^ " is
he at home?" *JT^ nt^n (^ "go into the house and see;"
e1 'Cte'* f% ^f^lT? £ftf^5 ^T3[ " in what manner can there be
love in this?" r»tSfT^(^ ^T?1 <rf*t "put it upon the dining-
tablc;" c^T <5t5rt7T5 Tl"3T ^T<r "he lives by or near to the
Ganges;" Tf^TF ^TfrTfatrs *fww ^r? " tlie child goes to
school;" 7TJT^f«l "srTtfre ^rlz^t?"4! ^f?^T " the soldiers mounted
their horses;" »T35t«i ^"TO^^T "the enemy ascended the
(S^ *.'
mountain;" w\fa f% *£f^lz? ^^1 ^f?TC~5 ^nf? how (literally,
in what manner) can I do that?" ^«t?r3F^ ^rsly*!" cTt^ r?
" such gain is (comes) providentially," literally, "in process
of one's appointed lot."
a. The name of a person or place is generally accompanied by
the word *rfW in the locative ease, as OTt^ ^^T ^ "5T^ '"'a man
by name John;" ^ft^f^T^^ ^TW 3$ ^^[ - a city by name 1'utali-
putra."
1). To express tlic idea tiboiif, concerning, relative to. or rcsj>ert-
ing, tlic locative case is used, or the word f<Hii - matter," '• sub-
ject," in the locative case, as ^T^t? tyl ^rffsr f% ^f^" '• what sliall
I say about his qualities ? " ^T^t? f<yC53 yf% "STc^ ^«t1 ^r?^3
<:t11[ '• you can say many things concernin»- him;" fsn^TfcT-;?
^<93't? ^«T ^1^" "'this is the fruit of contempt respecting tiio
advice of a friend."
120. Adverbs arc placed as near as convenient to the
words which they qualify ; common ones for the most part
before, but negatives after the verb, provided it be in the
152 JIEXGALI GRAMMAR.
indicative mood, or in the second person of the imperative,
as c*r w *f
"the quality that the wise praise, that quality well quali-
fied people will certainly observe or keep;" <F^1 <$f^*2 -r)
" do not speak;" efrtw ^rf^s ^ z^ttf ^fsTS c*rfsr ^r T| "it
is not proper to speak before hearing the matter," literally,
"while the matter is not brought before you ;" fw^q^^f
C-' \J /
"31TI ^f^irT^ " you said that very finely."
a. A verb not in the indicative mood requires the negative to
be placed before it. The same rule applies to all questions to
which the hearer is not expected to reply. In sentences com-
mencing' with if, whetlier, i)i order that, the negative is also put
before the verb. In sentences commencing with a relative pro-
noun, it is put after the verb when the pronoun designates some
special matter of fact, person, or thing ;. and before the verb
when the pronoun refers to any out of a whole class of persons
or things : thus, ^fsT *rf^~1Z^ SffR »T| " (the individual) whom I
know not," meaning some person specially referred to ; ^rtfsr
srT^~t£« *H "5Tffr "(a person) whom I know not," meaning any per-
son, although an example of the class may be named ; ^5t^T? ^^T
•3T^rf <3 »H ^9T^T ^Tfo srf^lTS *ttf? =n "his work not being finished I
cannot go ; " <£ft«|^ C^T ?^1 ^? *^?tT$ fc ^fw^ ^1 ^T " he who
saves life, by him what is not saved?" This question is one to
which no reply is expected. If information were sought, and an
answer expected, it would be f% ^f^F5 ^T »r| ?
1). Some adverbs have a corresponding situation in the sen-
tence, the one being in the former part of the first clause, and
Ihe other in the succeeding one, as STT^s, fsfr ^1 ^Tf^T^T«T ^t?'^
^rtfr «Jtf<^ " 1 will wait till he comes," literally, " while he does
not come I will stay;" *T5 *&e\ ^STf? W^ ^1 "wtC"5f ^i^q rst^T?
^ " I will gnaw your bonds till my teeth break;"
\vhcn he oes I will o also."
POSTPOSITIONS - CONJUNCTIONS 1 0''>
121. Postpositions (v. § 1 12) govern the genitive, as
C5t*rf<r Tff^s fsr^rsi ^f^rs Tt|?1 <ff?rn ^Tf^nrtf^1 " I have come
desiring to inak(3 friendship with you;" ^T1 ^f^?1 C^r
tfTS? sn:§[ «rtf%TTl ^f^cf "hearing this he remaining in tlie
hole said ;" ^fsTt? fr^RT? ^rf^T " come ne;ir to me ;" CSt^rf?
f? ^^5 *TTc? " by you I may obtain assist-
"
ance.
a. The words f?Rl and ^jHtd^d* arc very frequently united
with the nominative ease, as s^t? f?^r| (
can help me besides Cod?" ^wlfl
I am unhappy without my husband (or protector) ;"
^ vi-«tds*) (^ -stf-^J ^ 5T) " in an assembly none
are rearded but the wise."
/>. The word "g^ prefers the ablative case instead of the pos-
sessive, as C^ ^rfat^?T3 ^5tf&$ ~%Z~? ^tC^ '' he stays at a great
distance from me." It ma be
of the postpositions may be (as we have already stated,) com-
pounded with the leading- noun, in which case the genitive inflec-
tion is omitted,, as ^<?7T^tZ^f *Tt« " g'o to the teacher."
122. Conjunctions generally connect the same moods and
tenses of verbs and cases of nouns and pronouns, as (?&
<TC^F3 C^tTjZ? <t?lciv)^n:^ Offa=T 4^° 5rtf?^T "he saw a black snake
in the hollow of the tree and killed it ;" c*H « C^ra ^ ^?r
^ ^tTfcT "?f?^5r^; "the cow and sheep and buffalo and goat
are feeding;" ^rrfa (^ w*^
saw that man and his brother;" c*T
lie gave yon and me pleasure;
" "^T "yon go there, and tell him this;"
1 "he will go to Cal-
cutta, but will not stay long (there);1' ^jfir ^rf? ^
154 BENGALI GRAHMAE.
"you and I shall live together;" ?
fa^ ^rt^irs (Tf<? »r| "allow Rama to go, but do not
allow Shyama."
a. When the latter part of the sentence differs in its nature
and construction from the former, the rule does not apply. This
is particularly the case when the former part of the sentence
contains an assertion or command, and the latter a promise or
inference from it, as (Sf^ 3TSI W$ v5ts[tF3 ^«ft ^Tl " do this and
you will he happy;" nfff <f^ ?5?f ^ ^5tt tf^ ^<[ "if things arc
so, then do you depart."
b. When the latter part of the sentence is a consequence or
result of the former, $t^l75 is used in preference to <£ft° or ^? ,
as ^rtfir ostsrt? <*t^?^ WSR ^f?R vst^lrs c^r cst^rf? ^J ^^rf? ^<t^r|
9^«l ^f^^; 5^1 " I wiU subdue your enemy, and he shall no more
plunder you."
c. When ^ is put after a noun or pronoun, it means " also "
or "too" or f'even;" when added to a participle, "even" or
"though" or « although ;" as OT ^IT^ ^rffr^ f^srtsr " I also was
there," i.e. "besides others I too was there;" f^fr (trftnrf^?
Pft-nfr *r\ "though seeing he sees not," i.e. "although he sees he
docs not perceive ;" ^t^l 3f?£cT*2 f%f; "5^T ^t"C^ ^1 " thougli he do
it, it will he of no use."
(1. The conjunction Tl may be used to signify " or " or " hut,"
as c^l^lT^ Tl ^n:^ 5Tf^T " I shall go by boat or on horseback ;"
f% " I will not do it ; but, if J
should, what harm will there be ?"
e. The relative (*T is by some used as a conjunction, "that,"
"thus," "namely," like the Persian ^ , and in a manner similar
to the use of the particle In in the Creek " New Testament,"
CONJUNCTIONS. 155
but "contrary to the idiom of the Bengali/' as
" be said to him, come and see." It should be
^9 3-ST1 f*T *f^tc<*> ^?f^T or (7T 3f$tC$ $f^st *itfn?1
. Again, ii| ^f^T5 ^jc^ (*T C^1*J<J1 £f«nr 3T£ "this is said that
ye may believe." It should he HT^tC* or c^T^ (i1*J<I1 >±T«Jir ^<T
^P^ fa ^ ^ ^f*T5 ^rfz^". The assertion that this application of
the particle (% is contrary to the idiom of the Bengali will be
found in Dr. Yates' Grammar. I know not how it can be so;
for it is most extensively used by all writers."
/. ~z~$° "rather," is either used by itself or followed by
as jf% ^<rl ^TC^fSF! ^?° f«^1 ^<r| "«t?r " it is better to l)eij tlian to
steal;" ^?° «tf*3^5 »T^ "«T=T ^^tf^f ^*f fsru "«T5T wr^ "a wise
enemy is better than a foolish friend."
. be used alone as a conjunction in making a
request ; or as a relative pronoun followed by its correlative, as
C^ *f?(^Ptf? ^rfsrt? SR o*T^ ^frc«t =r| ut? "O Lord, let not my
mind go in wicked ways ;" C^5t»rr^ ^r^T C^f $~$ ^9 fafsrt~g ^rff^
«2Tt^T| ^f? " I pray for your welfare." (*& being originally the
Sanskrit form of the relative srf^lirs , it must always precede the
sentence which contains its correlative.
//. Some conjunctions have their corresponding conjunctions ;
the most frequent of these are ufpr and ~$tt , TTUf^f and ^^Ttf^r ;
as nfpf ^t^tC^ CW^t "Gtt ^St^lT:^ ^^" ^8T| ^sT "if you see him, tell
him this;" wfcf ^*R ^T ^STff^f ^t^0 *iP^« ^rt^rf? ^~5 csftfs
" although it be so, yet I have a great affection for him."
i. When the former part of such a sentence refers to matter
of fact, nf? or TT^rf^f is omitted, whilst ^?" or ^Tff^f must be
retained, as ^tfa ^ »y ^t^T fwl ^T^TC^ "^nf^rtf^ "SCT" f% £f<F(Z?
^rf^rtZ^ »f? <-r<ld-i ^"^1 ^? " 1 introduced him with an assurance
of protection, how then can he wish to destroy me ?"
156 LEXGALI GRAMMAH.
123. Interjections require the vocative case, as
? "give your order, sir;
hear me, 0 woman;" (^ ^TWUT?
"our Father, who art in heaven, hear our petition;" ^
" 0 brother, come hither."
a. The word fop " fie upon/' or « woe to," governs the ob-
jective case, as (*T ^R c^*r C*t^D ^t«T Tft?T ^TC^ f^ "fie upon
him who delights only in play!"
" woe to me, that being born a man I have
not served God ! "
ON BENGALI STYLE.
124. Owing to the comparatively recent origin of Bengali
literature, the language, especially the written language,
is not yet fixed ; and although rapidly advancing towards
a state of purity and elegance, it is still in a fluctuating
condition. We may say then that at present there are four
different styles in vogue : viz. the pedantic, the clcyant, the
practical, and the familiar, each of which we shall here
briefly define.
a. The pedantic style may be known by its being imperfectly
understood by all those who have not studied Sanskrit : its faults
lie chiefly in the introduction of compound words where they arc
not needed, and in the choice of such compounds as consist of
words not in common use ; also in the adoption of Sanskrit
phrases and forms of speech. This style is found principally in
works translated from the Sanskrit. It is what the late Lord
Macauluy would call the " Johnsom-xc of Bengal;" and 1 believe
that it is now gradually falling into disrepute.
TSENG A LI STVI.i;. ]-"»7
1). The elegant or Itnoh style, which is also becoming current
in conversation, is the written language of the present day. It
is as yet scarcely formed ; hut its tendency is to occupy the
golden medium between the pedantic and the familiar, by pre-
ferring to all other words those Sanskrit elements which the
familiar language has retained, or altered only slightly, and by
avoiding all compound words the component parts of which are
not readily intelligible. This style is adopted in the latest ver-
sions of the Scriptures into the Bengali language; also in
numerous educational works* composed at Calcutta, within the
last thirty years, by learned natives under the superintendanee of
intelligent Europeans.
c. The practical style differs from the preceding chiefly in this,
that it borrows largely from the Persian, Hindustani, and English.
This style is used by almost all Muhammadans who speak Ben-
gall ; by most persons in the employ of Europeans ; by news-
paper editors, and by those who are engaged in commerce and
in judicial matters. It would be pedantry to proscribe all foreign
words from the Bengfili language; because in many cases they
are the only terms which exist, or which are likely to be under-
stood. But it is highly desirable to avoid the use of those for
which indigenous terms, derived from the Sanskrit, are either
already provided by the daily language, or may be introduced
into it with every prospect of being as plain and intelligible as
the exotic words now in common use. Dr. Yates calls this the
impure style, a term which I hold to be inappropriate. A lan-
guage is not necessarily impure, because, like the English, it
freelv borrows from its neighbours such useful words as it does
* This reminds me of a debt of gratitude which I owe to >orne friend in Bengal, m»~t
likely a quondam pupil. Some years ago I found, at Kind's Cnllcge, a valuable paekage
of books in Bengal! and Sanskrit, sent to rny address ; but not a scrap of information
respecting the generous donor.
158 BENGALI GRAMMAR.
not already possess. In tins style chiefly are composed most of
our Dialogues in Appendix C.
d. The familiar style is used by most of the natives of Bengal
in their own houses, and in their daily intercourse among them-
selves. Most of its words are derived from the Sanskrit, but
considerably modified, especially by absorbing the <T and other
consonants when preceded by a vowel, as ^f«l for 3? < , 3^5 for 3^3 .
The endless use of expletives, as (?fl, F|, ^f%, is its chief blemish;
but for this it might become a beautiful language. It is, how-
ever, far from being rich enough to answer all the purposes of a
language. It abounds in terms relating to domestic and agri-
cultural life ; but is poor as soon as another province of thought
requires to be occupied. Vide Appendix A.
159
APPENDIX A,
RULES FOR FAMILIAR OR COMMON CONVERSATION.
1. The rules laid down in the preceding work arc prin-
cipally applicable to the language as written in books or as
spoken in public by men of education ; but the colloquial
phraseology, in common use among the native Hindus,
differs in many respects from the written language. The
following remarks on this subject are extracted from the
anonymous work alluded to in § 21, «; and as the author of
that work was himself a native, we may safely rely upon
his authority. Before we proceed further, however, it may
be proper to remind the reader of what we stated in § o
respecting the inherent short vowel, viz. that it is sounded
like a or 6. Now the latter pronunciation is most preva-
lent among the uneducated classes, who form in Bengal a
majority of at least ten to one. The learned generally
pronounce the short d as it is in Sanskrit ; thus, they say
sdJcdl and drddhd ; whereas the vulgar say so/cul and orrfd/to.
This last mode of pronunciation seems to have been the
more common in the time of Mr. Ilalhed, who adopted it
in his Bengali Grammar, printed at Hooghley, A.D. 1788.
More than forty years later, Mr. G. C. Haughton followed
Ilalhed' s pronunciation ; although Dr. Carey had then in
troduced the Sanskrit system in Bengal.
ICO APPENDIX A.
2. In familiar or common conversation, the imitative
sounds (§ 87, h] arc frequently in use, whereas in writing
the things intended for expression arc in general formally
expressed. Thus the English sentence "bring a knife or
any other instrument which will serve as a knife," may bo
translated by ^-sitsr wfj fr^l ff?? ^*f ^? ^^5 (TR ^nsj"
^rf^ or, by J)^-«Tfw frf% |f? ^rfa ; but, in common conversa-
tion, the latter is mostly in use. Adjectives, used abso-
lutely, that is, without their substantives, generally have
the enclitic particles, appropriated to their substantives,
joined to them, as ^rfcrft^? TflTFl-^l (%$ £ft° ijfsr ^ToT-l}1 ^r«
" give me the white (one), and you take the black (one)."
3. Such words as are not Sanskrit, or at least pure
Sanskrit, are generally contracted according to the follow-
ing rules : viz. the medial ^~ of a verb is cut off in every
instance, except when preceded by a consonant and followed
by TT, as ^?* for Tta ; s^t~3: for *i?t^T ; «lt*r for stf^rr.
If the syllabic f^; be in the middle of a verb, it is left out ;
if at the end of one, it suffers the elision merely of its 3;,
as 3*rfsr for <ff^cTt^ , ^ for ^f^ ; ^ for srf^ . The people
of Calcutta and the adjacent places contract the ^ only, as
for ?frf5r "^" for
4. The final or medial irl or ^^? is contracted into *?,
and Tin into ^ , as *^rj is contracted into *TCT?1 ; ¥?r"JTl into
<K • ~ "^ <K°
lF<T5rl ; ^f?rs into ^r?1 ; *rfwi into %z~$ ; "grfrhri into *s£u> etc.
If there be an ^rl in the word endin in ^1T| t"-s or %TT|
that ^T1 is changed into ^i, as *rffwi is changed into
into C"^r^ srf&lfl into C^^l . The initial ^rf of verbs
OF THE TENSES. 101
is contracted into <n : thus, •-wto'MtT makes jr=rf?r ;
makes C*T?Tfsr . hi causal verbs, ~snt~ is contracted into ~sf],
as *rr$Trr^"eTf3r contracted into *ft C'7T*rt*r ; c^arrf"? into c^rpr ;
C^M?Ci into (T5TT5. In the past conjunctive participle of
a causal verb ^fl^TI ()1> ^TTT^in is contracted in(o^T*T,as
into c^f^y ; sfTf^in into '<ff?T<r; *Tf s<rf^"?n into srr^zir;
into «rtnr; c^rnrt^^l into ^^r?; c^s?T^"?1 into
Observe further that when <? or ^ comes bet'oi-c
^ is shortened into %, and ^ into ^ , as in tlie lu^t
two examples.
5. In the present definite and imperfect tenses, the
present participle loses its termination "»T3 after a con-
sonant, and changes it into F after a vowel, which (T? ) is
compounded with the ^ following in the termination, as
for 5ff?^5f^ f^TTsr for ^Irrefwfa' ^rf^"5^" for TTIP (.$(.<$
for ^9 titC^ ; ^ft"^ for ^tr^C^-r . rriie following con-
tractions take place in the terminations of verbs, viz.—
The syllable (^ is changed into TT as ^w —
G. The negative inflections of the perfect tense always,
and of the pluperfect tense sometimes, are elegantly formed
by adding =rf^" to the simple inflections of the present
tense, even in good Bengali: thus, ^f=r -^rw *ff£ ^sTSJTyr ^^r
1) u he has not learnt (his) lesson to-day ;"
* The vowel i is here pronounced very slightly 01 almost imperceptibly, as we stated
in a preceding note.
11
162 APPENDIX A.
" had he learnt yesterday?")
(for ^Iwtf^ZsRTl) " Xo, he had not learnt (it) yes-
terday also." Again, in common conversation, the negative
^T^" in the same tenses is contracted into fr , as -^ifa ^fsfr
for ^rffw ^f? ^rft" . The negative particle «r| is idiomatically
pronounced c»r after the verbal inflections of the first per-
son, present indefinite tense, and all the second persons
singular ; as ^rtfsr *rtf?^ for *ftf?^1 ; ^a^t" «tffow for ^r^
*rr^fe| . The sr| of «rr^ , too, when used principally, is
commonly (or vulgarly) pronounced (W , as
for
7. The pronoun ^f| is contracted into « ; and ^1 into
, in the nominative as well as in other cases, as ^s? for
for ^T<r ; ^^ for ^^~t^ ; ^^ for 9 ^I7r^ * ^TTS for
for t"^ftT5 . The enclitic particle ^1 is vulgarly
pronounced as ^1 , after an adjective, and adjective pro-
noun ; and as c^ after ^, ^, c^rt" and c^rt" ; and fe is pro-
nounced fs after the last four pronouns : thus, ^8^1 ^T^T »T5r
for ^1 ^t^T 5T?r ; <$*Fs "»T=T for u^^fe ^t«T . ^1 is pronounced
\£J V«/
C5 after the word &tt" , and ^tt" is pronounced as c^«l before
the particle fs, as ^
57/c Different Significations of Verbs wlien used in peculiar
Idiomatic Forms or Instances.
8. The repetition of a verbal inflection twice or oftener
docs not generally imply a repetition of the signification ;
but when the present participle of a verb is repeated twice,
and followed by a noun of agency, formed in the Bengali
mode, from the same verb, or by a third personal present
indicative inflection of the common form, then, instead of
DIFFERENT SIGNIFICATIONS, ETC. 1C3
doubling its signification, it indicates the frequent repe-
tition, continuance, or practice of what it meant singly ; as
fltoTS ffts (.*> *1fe dy "constant singing forms the songster;"
fsrsfirs f%«ftl> f*Tt«t " constant writing forms the writer."
The present and past conjunctive participles, when repeated
and followed by a finite inflection of another verb, indicate
the continuance of what they meant singly, as c^T srfferrfc or
srrfors*. *rf?nrl C*tsf uhe killed himself by constant labour."
When the present participle is doubled and followed by a
finite verb, it indicates that the action of the finite verb
was put in execution or finished as soon as or very soon after
the action of the participle had commenced : thus, Tfrf?
<f>i<:4*. *Tf«"?n ^^ " he had scarcely sat down when he had
done eating ; " f*r ^rfr ^"€^ c*rf5rc<r or ?f*nr5*. 4lfs? fsfrs "la-
plays well who soon after he sits down, wins the game."
The repeated participle in the above instance, is sometimes
followed or preceded by the word ^fr (literally "thus"
or " so,") as ^*ifa ffcs *tfr?rtc$teT " it fell down as soon as it
was touched."
9. In many instances, the present participle, being
doubled and followed by a finite verb, adds to its significa-
tion the idea of w Idle, or a like word ; as fs
"he spoke to me while dining;" fsfr
<i»< " he reads while Avalking along the road ;"
<F5 •^5rT*^fj f<yy ^ff^3 <5TT^£?' " as he goes along
the road how many wonderful sights will he have an oppor-
tunity of seeing." AVhen the present participle is repeated
(twice), and followed by a finite negative inflection of the
same verb ; then it shows that its agent did, is doing* or
will do the action of the finite verb when on the very point
of doing the action of the participle ; and in such cases, the
164 APPENDIX A.
emphasis is generally laid upon the participle, as
•rj " he did not give though on the very point of giving."
When, however, the emphasis is laid upon the finite verb,
then it expresses that the action of the finite verb was, is,
or will be put in execution or performed, while that of the
participle is, tuas, or shall be yet unfinished, as (4fc5\ (*ft?T »r|
"he commenced his dinner but did not finish."
10. When the doubled present participle has a nomina-
tive of a person different from that of the (affirmative)
verb which completes the sense, then it bears the signifi-
cation of a finite verb agreeing with its nominative in
person and with its following verb in tense. In the first
case, it adds the idea of priority, and in the second, some-
times of priority and sometimes of while, as l[fsr c^sft^ ^n
sit^m ^rffr ftf?fl $T^5 " I shall arrive there before you
can ;" ^fsr c^srt^ c^fe^ Ttsl ^tn *rT^re " that will be
done ere or by the time you get there." When a verb of
the past indefinite, present, or future tense is doubled and
followed by an indicative inflection of ^<[<i "to do," or of a
verb expressive of seeming, then it shews that its agent is
on the point of being or doing or is about to be or to do what
it signified singly, as srjiu ^P ylc^ "it is on the point of
going ;" *rt?A ^f^ " I am about to go."
11. When J)^" is prefixed to a verb of the present defi-
nite tense, or of the past indefinite, and is pronounced
abruptly, it adds the idea just now, as ^ itU^ "he is just
going or gone ;" ^t~ C^sflz^ f^rtf^tsT "I have just been
there." When ^ is prefixed to a simple verbal inflection
of the present tense, it indicates that the verb's action will
presently take place, as ^ ^T|T*T "it will presently come;"
i<it" ^Tt^" " it will presently go."
IDIOMATIC EXPRESSIONS. 165
12. The pluperfect inflection of the indicative mood, fol-
lowed by ^Tf? fa (literally, " what more,") generally indi-
cates that its action was on the point of being performed
when it was stayed at the very last moment, as r<rc?f^rf^
^Tt? fa " I was on the point of catching ;" srf<rTrrfe*rr*r -3rr<r
fa " I was on the point of dying." fa " what " when pre-
ceded by an inflection of the past indefinite, perfect, plu-
perfect, or future tense, or one of the verbal inflections
ending ^t^r, fs^T, etc. and followed by the same inflection
of another verb, it adds, in a conditional manner the sense;
of as soon as, no sooner than, or the moment when, to the
meaning of the preceding verb, and turns (though indi-
rectly) the tense of past indefinite and perfect inflections
in the future, as ^fsr ^^K^ sftfa fvr$T% fa *rrf?r «nihrn? " no
sooner you will abuse him, than you will get a beating;"
lifsT fT^Tft5* c^tl=T fa snrtsf "no sooner will you go there than
you will die."
13. When the conditional tense, terminating in
T, ("5, or ("5W, has the subjunctive particle *rfff " if/' un-
derstood before it, and is followed by one of such words
as 'StcTjijinr, *js?^, ?t^1, etc., and is, in its negative form
repeated with the following word, then the object is un-
affected by either alternative, as fsfsr 3Rr^r -»frr, ^1 ^£?^ "at^r
"(if) he does so (it is) good, (if) he does not (it is) good,"
i.e. "it is immaterial whether he does it or not." ^fsr ^IC"5
TT^"1 ^fl fsrrs Tt^l l> if you did go (it was or would be) well,
if you did not go, good," i.e. " it matters little whether
you went or not."
14. Sometimes ^rs\ is used at the end of those verbal
inflections to which t" may be affixed, trsi adds, in a
1G6 A1TEXDIX A.
manner, the idea of defiance to the meaning of the future
inflections ; and of frequency, to the signification of the
present inflections of the progressive form ; in other in-
stances it boldly asserts the performance of the verb's
action : thus, *rfa-^T3l " I will go ;" orstfrw irif^-^Trsi " (to
be sure) I frequently go there." Sometimes the C51 is
separated from the t", and added to the nominative, as
^rffr-fsl srfa-^" , ^fsr-rsl srff^jr-^" . Sometimes such a
phrase as ^rf% "what of that?" v\ ^ f% "what fear of
that?" is added to ^si as *rt3"-^5l ^Tf% ?
lo. When the particle ^1 is added to the past indicative
inflections of a verb, it signifies that there is very little
harm or advantage should the action of the verb take
place, as c*t*f-t~3l "what matter if he has gone?" ^"cT-^ri
"it is of little consequence if it be." Such a phrase as
TKTS f%, tftrs f% ^r "what of that ?" ^irs f% ^rr^T^ TTT? uof
what consequence is that?" is often expressed after v*H? as
C9f7T^-<ri "sUrs f% ? ^5 *i^<i ^st^5 f% "5rt^L7:'5T ulir ? When f% is
prefixed to the above inflection, followed by ^n , it con-
veys the idea of supposition in the execution of the verb's
action, as f% c?l^^<1 "or I suppose he has gone."
1C. When ?> is joined to a verb of the indicative mood
present or future tense, or of the imperative mood future
tense, it (?") indicates the performance of the verb's action
with positive-ness or without failure, as <t-f<i<9 " I will
positively do or I must do (so);" <FTf% irf?1"^" c^TsTtF* "go
there to-morrow positively." When ^ is affixed to the
present, conjunctive, or adverbial participle, then it gene-
rally adds the idea of as soon as, or the moment when, and
the participle conveys the signification of a finite inflection
IDIOMATIC EXPRESSIONS. 107
which agrees in tense with the perfect verb following, as
"I went as soon as lie told me ;"
C>I?T Hie ran away the moment
when he saw me ;" fe-fal nrs ^rf^sr^ (Tfsrn^ frr* " I shall
pay you the money as soon as it comes to hand." The t"
is also sometimes affixed to the other inilections of a verb,
but it is very difficult to express what idea it adds to their
signification. The ^ added to the conditional inflections
of a verb, generally conveys the idea oi granted 01 supposing
that, arid causes them to convey their signification in the
indicative mood, as ^rfift" ^fwi srtfc ; or v
or nf? <-f<iyi «Ttf%^" k' granted that I did so."
17. In joining the ^ to the compound inflections of a
verb, it may be affixed to the participle as well as to the
auxiliary verb : thus, (T ^f^irts" «TfC<F or c^T <t-f<i»Jl
or ^rts'^^tf^rt" ; ^f?"?rto (.^ or
f\clf*r or f^rtf^sTTfsr . In speaking, when the verb
lias already ended in ?"" , the additional ^~ , is generally ab-
sorbed in the former one, which is prolonged in pronun-
ciation. When t" follows the nominative to a verb of the
present tense indicative mood, and also the nominative to
the verb in the next clause, which must begin with ^TT?,
and end in the same or in another verb of the same tense
and mood, then the ^ gives the idea of tuhcthcr or either,
and ^rf? of or, as fftfa^ ^lU>H, '^srr? ^ifa^ *TT^" " either he
will come (here) or I shall go (there)."
18. When a verb is doubled, and ^ is used between
both, then it indicates the performance of the verb's action
with the utmost certainty ; but when the e" is used at the
end of a duplicated verb, it indicates that there is very
"
1G8 APPENDIX A.
little consequence should the verb's action take place, as
" I must 8°)" " I snaU positively go ;" ctfsr c^=r^
no matter if he is gone;" ^fwlz^" ^f^yftr^ "he has
certainly done this ;" 3Ff?Tfr^ <rf?irir^x or <t?r<iiJUfe>^ ^fwfr^
"it matters very little if he has done this." Sometimes
the present and past indefinite inflections of the indicative
mood are used together, and the ^ is added to the latter to
indicate that there is very little consequence should the
verb's action occur, as irHr C*t«T^" u what if he goes ?"
" what if he do eat ?"
19. When a negative verb, formed by prefixing *r|, is
repeated, and has an ^ added to the second *r| , it signifies
that it matters very little whether the action expressed by
the verb is performed or not, as «*1 fsif^fcT »rft" ftf^T " what
harm if it hasn't been got?" =fl *Tf«TTl CtfeT ^1% *fT«TTl C*t*T .
Sometimes another ^rfp" is used instead of the affirmative
part of the latter verb active or passive, as »r| *TfxC''?rf£<''fa' ^T^"
^rt^ (for srjit c^^r), ^1 ^"?Hr^ ^t^ ^ft" . Sometimes the
verb is not repeated, but being preceded by -rf^, conveys
the same signification as the above, as ^T^ fafacr »rr^" ^"^T .
20. If a verb of the future or past tense be doubled, and
the first one be followed by c*1 , and pronounced curtly, and
the second be followed by "s~, and pronounced emphatically,
then the idea of only, pcrscvcrinyly, 01 continually is added to
the signification of the verb in the future tense, and of for
ever to the meaning of the verb in the past tense, as f%f«n:^
(Tl f^ftnr^ " if ho sits down to write he will stick to it ; "
C51 (Sffio' " he seems to have gone for ever ;" f^T^" C31
^ or f?f<Tt^^ . The speaker, when impatient of
awaiting the completion of the verb's action, often adds
IDIOMATIC EXPRESSIONS 109
(TT, and sometimes c$ and Orf«f " I see," to the end of such
phrases as the above : thus, C*ftcT| ("51 c^^Tc" or Off«t " I see
that he is gone for ever."
21. When ^r=T (perhaps the contracted form of
" having said ") is affixed to the past indefinite inflection of
a verb, it has no distinct signification of its o\vn, but
causes the principal verb to signify that its action is on the
point of being performed or will soon he performed, as c*f*T ^?r
"it will go on the instant;" *rfi>«T ^f% "it will fall in a
moment." Sometimes the action, which has a strong pos-
sibility of being soon done, is expressed by the simple
present or past inflection of a verb, in which case a verb
bearing a contrary signification is in its negative form often
expressed after it, and the word "5TT? is used between them,
as ^rffsr sr<rsrf*r , ^rf? <fffwi ,
22. When a verb is repeated four times, the first and
second time in its affirmative, and the third and fourth
time in its negative form, the expression then shows that
it is of very little consequence whether the verb's action
be performed or no, as ^rf-e Tf€ srfrrT^ •rfirf^ k' you may go or
not, (just as you like) ;" r?^T ^^T srft^cT =m:^ . Often such
a phrase as TtT5 f%|f ~3rf!Lr*T "?rtir ^H "nothing will come of it."
is expressed after a verb repeated as above, as ^rf« ^TT« srf<n s
5rt?rT« , ^tre f%^" WT^"(T5T irTTr STI " you may go or not, nothing
will come of it."
23. When Ftt" " it is roqumnl," is used before a simple
verbal inflection of the present or past tense, indicative
mood, and is next used before the same verb negative, or
before the same inflection of another verb bearing a diife-
170 APPENDIX A.
rent signification, then the agent is considered at liberty to
perform or not to perform the action of the principal verb,
and Ff^", in such case, conveys the signification of to wish
or the like in the subjunctive mood, present tense, as
ST| *rf« " go or not just as you like ;" Ftt" (tfsrfa
, Ftt" (tfsrfa Ftt" ^\ c^rf^ . Optionally the second
and third personal inflections (simple) of Ff^ or Ff^ are
used instead of Ft^", to agree with the principal verb and
its agent in person and rank, as Ft« srt^ Ff^? wfat^ ; Ft»r
*l|<:<H Ftsr •<1*U<:<M . Sometimes f% is affixed to Ft^" , in
which case the principal verb is not repeated or followed
by another verb, but has an ^" added to itself, to its nega-
tive particle, if any, or to its object, as Ff^~f%
24. When ^ and fiF together are added to the conditional
participle, and again to its negative form, or to the same
participle of another verb, bearing a different signification,
then it shows that there is very little consequence should
the participle's action be performed or not, and the two
participles have the force of two finite verbs agreeing in
tense with the perfect verb following, as ^f?r c*U=l^f<i? ^r)
C*Uds fa " of what consequence is it whether you go or
not ?" ^fsr srfvicci^fc %fFtcT? f% . The ^ after the above in-
flection is generally followed by csl, C*ffa " I see," or sr| c^r
"why not?" and «r| (<$•* is followed by such a phrase as
(klufa, ^17T3 CFt^ f%, ^tfw f%, or ^1T5 tfsr f% u Avhat harm is
in that?" as, ^
171
APPENDIX B.
ON THE DIVISIONS OF MONEY— WEIGHTS AND ME A-
SURES— DAYS OF THE WEEK— MONTHS OF THE
YEAR— CONTRACTIONS OF WORDS.
OF THE DIVISIONS OF MONEY.
1. In Bengal petty disbursements are kept in 3-fs, *r»rl,
etc., and the highest denomination of such accounts is the
3T3\, which is equal to the fourth part of a rupee, or our
sixpence very nearly. Accounts of this description are
superscribed with the word <d% " cowry," and are termed
^T^l "crude." The other species of accounts is termed *Tfa1
11 ripe or perfect," and has the word ^r| "cash" written over
it. In these the rupee is the highest denomination, fwl is
the denomination of the fourth part of the nominal value of
the rupee, as settled in the bazar. Whatever is bought
or sold by tale, is reckoned by the *fv and
4 ^5 (cowries) make 1
5 ^31 1 ^s or
20 *tefl 1 *Tv
4 *fq 1 WT»r| or c^T^ or
1G *fv 1 ^;«i = = 4 -srKI
16 ^r(^1 1 T?t^1 (rupee).
a. The coin valued at 2 annas is called ^srTfr; 4 anna?, a
, FtlT5rrf;r, or C?~Sff%; 8 annas, ^Sff^T or ^lu^tf*'; one pice,
j and so on.
172 APPENDIX B.
OF WEIGHTS.
2. The unit of the measurement of weights is the <r
which averages nearly two grains and a quarter troy
weight.
8 ?fs make 1
10 *rw 1
4 c^fsTl = 1
4 ^Ffr? = i
4
40
OF DRY MEASURE.
f Grain is either weighed in scales by the above
weights, or is measured by basket measures. These are
not the same or quite the same in all parts of Bengal.
4 GPF make 1 *Tffa, or flff^, or CSt^J, or
4 C3t«i — 1
5
4
16
The C?t^ is about a ser and a quarter.
OF LONG MEASURE.
4. This measure does not vary much from our own.
3 TT^ (barley-corns) make 1 <sreFf*r (finger's breadth)
4 *J st fa 1 "5"^ (hand's breadth)
3 "gr^ 1 f^TTi (span)
2 fw^ 1 rfT (cubit)
4 rfs 1 srg: (fathom)
2000 *rg: 1 c^T^r (coss)
4 f2FT*f 1 C?T^ (vojan)
MKASUKKS OF TIMK.
(i. rriio area or portion of land, containing three hundred and
twenty square cubits, i< a knthn, twenty kt'itlms make a bighti.
The quarter of almost all objects is commonly called a (*T1€Tn or
OF MEASURES OF TIME.
5. The time it requires to pronounce one long syllable is
called a
10 fw=T make 1 «2fT«
G «fT< 1 *m
CO *f=r 1 tf*j
GO *«j 1 f^ (day)
7 fir* 1 Tf^T^ (week)
OF THE DAYS OF THE WEEK.
G. The days of the week, like those of our own language,
are named after the planets ; the word TT? "a day" being
subjoined.
Sunday, from ?f? the Sun.
Monday, ,, OTfsr the Moon.
Tuesday, ,, sr^cT Mars.
Wednesday, ,, ^*f Mercury.
^ Thursday, ,, <t^*vjHft Jupiter.
Friday, ,, ^3F Venus.
Saturday, ,, *rfw Saturn.
a. From sun-rise to sun-set is the length of the day, and is
railed fjrJTf^ ; and from sun-set to sun-rise is considered as the
nig-ht, and is termed <Ttf3raT»r. Each of these divisions is sub-
divided into four equal parts, called £f3"? -\vatches," which of
course vary in length, according1 to the latitude of the place,
174
APPENDIX B.
and the season of the year. It is evident, however, that they
must average, one season with another, three hours' duration each.
OF THE NAMES OF THE MONTHS.
7. The Hindu year is divided into twelve equal por-
tions, which may be called solar months ; but all festivals
and dates are reckoned, not by these simple months, but
by the duration of the moon which commences in each.
Hence, although the month baishalch for instance begins
de jure about the llth of April, it may commence de facto
from one day to twenty-eight days later. When two new
moons occur during one solar month, which happens once
in three years, there is an intercalary month, and the
month so intercalated receives the name of the solar month
within which the two new moons may happen to occur.
Each lunar month is divided into two parts. From the
change to the full moon is called ^# *FSF, " the bright half
or wing;" and from the full moon to the change is termed
" the dark half." fofa is the term for a lunar day.
br*rr*r 1
aft*
"April.
May.
June.
July.
August,
i. September.
October.
November.
December.
January.
February.
. March.
a. It may be observed, then, that the Hindus, rather clumsily,
reckon time hy solar years, and luni-solar months. Their
principal a?ra is that of the Kali-Tug, of which the year 436'2
expired ahout the llth of April, A.D. 1861, by solar reckoning,
at which period their new year generally commences. Beside
CONTRACTIONS OF WORDS. 170
the frra of the Kali-Yitg, the Hindus in the northern half of
India reckon from the time of a renowned prince, by name
Vikramfiditya, who lived (or died) about 57 years before tbe
commencement of our a>ra. Another common a?ra is that of
a prince named Shalivahana, which commenced 78 years after
the birth of Christ. The former of these eeras is called the
Samvat, and the latter the Saka. sera. Several other a>ras are
in use in certain parts of the country, for a full account of which
the reader may consult a profound work devoted entirely to the
subject, entitled " Kala Sankalita," 4to. Madras, 1825.
OF THE CONTRACTIONS OF CURRENT WORDS.
8. Many words which are in very common use, arc con-
tractedly written in letters and papers of business, to save
time. The first syllable, with the nasal sign subjoined, is
the mode by which the contraction is made. As they are
mostly foreign words, the original of each is subjoined.
A. implies Arabic, p. Persian, ir. Hindustani.
t"° for t~^ ( if- uJci-s) ) to this place, hither.
f%° „ fV'xre, (A. i^-,^j) a village or division.
„ ,, f%f% ( P. ^j^ ) a boat.
,, „ f<^<fa ( o.vJjuJ) a rent-roll ; an agreement to
pay by instalments.
^r° ,, Ft^rf^ an invoice.
,, Ff^ (p.^iU*-) a servant.
^rf° ,, ^rlf^ (A. ^U) a surety or security,
cwl" ,, ("§fli?1 (11. ^'yr) a Pair or su^ °f any thing.
fe0 ,, fe^r (A. <uj ) in trust or in charge (of).
A. ^Jl^ ) goods, commodities,
tr (A. jJL) ) ready money.
17G APPENDIX B.
for "5"^*p (A. t— sJe>) aside, towards.
\ \ ->^s s-
,, ^^ (A- J^) a tal°°k or zemindary.
5ff?*{ (A. fC;lj') the date or day of the month.
^ Price or value of a thing.
^ (P. ^j-jJ an account; lit within.
(P. <ufj ) a part of a zilla or province.
^ (P. CXj ) a footman or courier.
(P. x^) a footman or messenger.
Tt° ,, Tfa^ (A. ^-:(V) an account (of); belonging to.
oT a mundul or chief person in a village.
3Tf° ,, ^rf^ (P. *U) a moon, a month.
(A. c^i^) by the hands (of).
W ( A. Als'» ) Muhammad.
the English Mr.
^r (A. *lL« ) a place (prefixed to the name of
any place).
„ ^"«s ending with, up to this date.
' f A. ,.ti"L- ) an inhabitant.
S \ ^< s-
(A. ^1!^) to the care (of).
APPENDIX C,
CONSISTING OF EASY PHRASES AND UST-TUL DIA-
LOGUES ON FAMILIAR SUBJECTS.
Easy and Familiar Phrases.
Be careful,
Open the door, Tt?
Shut the door, ^rrT? flt « .
Don't forget, ffsf* =fl .
Be silent, £*f ^? .
Don't make a noise ($tT=T
Stop, stir, be quiet,
Make haste, ^?1 ^r
Don't be in hurry,
Go quickly,
Walk slowly,
Come here, <^«n ^rt ^sr .
Sit there, ^-srft^ ^^^r .
Who is he ? ^s c^ ?
What is this ? 4 fo ?
They are liars,TT^T<n f^^Jl
Who lives there ?
(Tf s
They are la/y,
Let it alone,
Let it be as it i
It rains, •*$
It is cloudy,
Look for it,
What do you want?
What do you say ? f%
AVlio is there ?
I go home, Tffs
Is it true ? 4 f%
Who says so ? c
Don't ou know ?
Can you read ?
I know how to write,
Don't delay,
It is time, or late,
What shall I eat?
12
178
APPENDIX C.
See the sport or fun,
A bird's nest,
Why do you laugh?
Don't weep, <-|Pk« »r| .
Chide him,
Don't climb the tree,
iH^ »r| .
Stand in the yard,
Go up,
Come in, n»-i£<l
You are angry,
I feel cold, *ffa
Cut the grass,
Eing the bell,
The dog barks,
Don't be angry, ?T*t
Don't strike, srrf?« ?
Call (some) Coolies,
Lift up the load,
Call aloud,
Stand up,
Sit still.
Don't be uneasy,
Don't be impatient,
sr|
It seems hard,
It tastes bitter,
It is sun-shine, (
A moonlight night,
A dark night,
There is no wind, TT5PT
It is sultry,
It is very hot,
The cock crows,
*
The wind blows, TT?r
' &.
Take lessons, «TT^ =r<?
Open your mouth, ^1
Shew your teeth,
Ask, fsfwl^n ^? .
Call for the palanquin,
Xo matter, no consequence,
Xever mind,
Xo harm,
Has your master risen?
What advantage is there in
that ?
There is no use in that,
What animal is this ?
^^?
Whose house is that ? «
5T??
Whose house is this ?
^T??
He is very impudent, CT T^s
?^.
Go away, you are dismissed,
EASY AND FAMILIAR I'HKASKS.
170
Make a sign for him to come I Is any thing eatable to be
hither, Tlstc<? ^<flZ»r*Jir>iC3 £ot there?
I luive no leisure,
I liavc got a head-ache,
lie has got the stomach-ache,
I have a very bad tootli-ache,
What is the price of these
things ? iii>i<t-«i <3<l ^~^r fa ?
Where are you going?
Do you know where he is
gone ? srfsr fafa
Clean those things, J?
*i<r-si ^(f^1?^ ^ .
Send them to my house,
To-day is a holy-day with us,
What is the price of this ?
They don't work on festival
days, T^T^I *r?re? fif^
That is invaluable, c^r
What is the difference be-
tween these two ? 4 bj.^4
"srcy fe^m" f%?
Is there no key to this box?
There are lots of flies at Cal-
cutta, ^fsFFfanr "SJZ^^F 5rrf% .
Who is the master or owner
of this house? «iiTff%?^gi C^F?
What is the name of this
village or town ?
fa ?
Do you know this man ?
Have these things come from
Europe ? 4
How is he to-day ?
Where shall you stay to-
night ? $f?r ^rffi
Belter than yesterday,
Which is the best of these
three ? 3
The sun has become very
oppressive, c?
180
APPENDIX C.
Hold up the umbrella,
(or
Is this horse Arabian, Per-
sian, or English ?
"Why does he not come ?
.
This is enough, *
That is the same thing, or
ti)f% (for <£ff-s> ).
Speak slowly and distinctly ;
then I shall understand
(I011)>
The enemy has retreated,
Our army has advanced for-
ward, ^srftfr
They pursued the enemy,
He is a depraved man, c^ •r?
He is very wicked, PT T5 ^ .
He is cunning, a deceiver,
and a hypocrite,
Don't interrupt me,
Do not prevent him from
doing so,
He can speak Bengali flu-
ently,
He tells me one (thing) and
you another ; whom shall
I hear ? fsfr <s&
He gives alms to the blind,
lame, deaf, dumb, leper,
sick, infirm, and poor,
DIALOGUE 1.
A Daifs Routine Conversation.
Sir, please get up.
It is dawn.
Is the gun fired ?
It is just fired.
fwt? 5, * *J \t^ .
A DAY'S ROUTINE CONVERSATION'. 181
Bring water to wash (my) 5T5
hands and face.
Tooth brush. %Ts ~sr[w\
Give (me) soap.
Give (me) a towel.
I shall go to walk. (<i bio <:*
Order (them) to get the carnage fflfs
ready.
Order (them) to get the riding- f^T«?Tf?<r ortsi £T$r~5
horse ready. ?^T .
Sir, the horse is ready. Tflzs^ , (*TTsi £wf? .
Keep (it) undt^r tlie veranda. TTjfJrr? ^tTF <rr«T.
The saddle is not well set. fsfw ^fsf TTW1 r? srrt^ .
Make the girth tight. c^rfe ^T or ^frnfl Or 8.
Lower the stirrup. C?^T^"
Take off my shoes and cotton ^T| >e
stockings, and put me on
woollen stockings and boots.
AYhcre is my handkerchief?
It is in the i)ocket of your coat,
J
AVlierc is it, I cannot get it.
Bring my hat and whip. Tjfor '<?
AVliere are my gloves ? ^rW?
The fly disturbs the horse. c^TTTO^ srrf^rs f<n[-&
Fan the horse with a fly-brush. c*TTTK? F(^? <F? .
The shoes of the horse are
coming off.
The horse must be shod. c^rtFf? ^ff^T T|fsfr3 ?^
The bridle too is almost broken. ?rf^T
Stop the horse. C*TfTl
Pat (the horse).
Give him 4 or -5 turns, genllv. Fff? %i?
182 APPENDIX C.
"Why are not the rooms, doors,
and furniture cleaned yet ? *ff*r^t<r
Tell the sweeper to sweep im- 3M^<<^t?CT? Ji*tf«r
mediately. ?^T .
Sir, neither the Metar* nor the ^U^< , ('re? f% c*l4<tl«?t
Metrdni is come yet.
What, it is so late and they f%, <*f5
are not come yet ! *rf^~ !
See, how much dust there is (?*{ (?f*t
upon the table and chairs.
Clean them this moment.
My coat is covered with dust,
brush it well.
Brush a pair of shoes.
Khidmatgdr^ get (me) a cup
of coffee and two or three
bits of toast.
Give (me) a cup of strong tea. ^ c^lTl^n <r^1 F|
Very well, Sir, I shall immcdi- (3 wfwl , <3*{fr c'iirT?
ately prepare and give it you.
Bring the newspaper.
See if the auction-advertise-
mcnts are come. »r|
Sarddr,% make all ready for
bathing.
AVarm some Avater.
Do not make (it) very warm.
Only lukewarm.
* Mule and fcmnle sweeper or scullion. Metnr is a corruption of the Persian word
miJitar which literally denotes " prince or grandee," but here used in an ironical sense,
t The KhiilmoirjTir is the servant that waits at table, generally a Musalman.
} The head servant in charge of the wardrobe, generally a Hindu.
A DAY'S ROUTINE CONVERSATION. 183
Order the Bhisti* to fill the r»r«<:<* ^TT
tub with water.
Shall I keep your clothes in ^t<T5 fe ^^rfsrr^rn^r <rff«r^ ?
the bathing-room ?
No, keep them in the adjoin- sr|, sT^T? cTT*ft« TO ?T«f .
ing room.
Keep only a shirt in the bathing c*tt*T5T-«JHk-4 C^R^f Jj^l
room. ?t*T.
Sardar, come and dress me. n<ikl<i, ^Jl^n, *T»T?
Bring some waistcoats. f^tt^T^s *»»^*M (or
I shall select one. ^rffa 43^1 Tiffin «
Give (me) a silk neckcloth c?^^? stcrfa7*' ^ ?>?r|^T
and handkerchief.
Where arc the comb and brush?
Near the looking-glass.
Order the Khidmatgar to bring
breakfast.
The breakfast is ready on the ^t&?T<i c*Jd&?<l
table.
Give (me) pepper and salt. ur<i<:i><i ^^51
This egg i^; rotten. ^ f%sr-i&1 csrf^ri 59 ti|<:^ .
This egg is not well boiled.
The bread is not fresh.
The butter too is not fresh.
AVhat sort of cheese do you 5j^T*nr , c^t^ "ffr?
want, Sir ?
English or Dacca cheese ?
The goat's milk and cow's niilk
are both ready.
The water-currier; a corruption nf the Persian blhi^ht'i.
184 APPENDIX C.
Give the goat's milk to the
children.
And cow's milk to me. 4ft° '^srtsrfr^ *fft~?
Have you got (any) fish ? srf^ <sft*r?rl
I have.
Quickly fry some and bring.
"What fruit have you got ? f% f%
Plantain, orange, plum, guava, wl,
dates, and sugar-cane.
Is that milk or cream ?
Bring finger-glasses to wash
our mouths and hands.
Take away all these.
Are there any rare fruits ? (^^Tgjts f%|r
There are almonds, raisins, ?~fFf5T,
pomegranates, pistachios,
walnuts and dates.
Well, bring those, and wine. wfi£\ , (^ TT^T ;;srr^, ::5rf?
Order the Hukkalarddr* to
prepare and bring tobacco.
Blow the fire.
The fire is out. Wf^ ^^r »ri .
The water of the huJclca is not
fresli ; change the water.
Again prepare the tobacco-
receiver well. ^<r .
Make a charcoal ball fire. ^ *r<rT« or
Order the coachman to get the
carriage ready.
* The servant who has charge of the JtuJiJca or smoking appaiatus.
A DAY'S ROUTINE CONVERSATION'. 185
It is time.
I shall go to (my) office.
Put the office-box in the car-
riage.
Drive, go straight.
Turn to the loft.
Turn to the right.
Stop here.
See if the gentleman or the
lady is at home.
Neither the gentleman nor the
lady is at home.
Well, go to the office. ^1^1 , Jf^sft^IlT FST
Furnish,* why don't you clean ^r^T^r, CS^TT ~<fT5 sr|
the desk ?
The Da f tar i ^ too, does not ^sft -s <-5iwvrlw TTT^ 3t£*r
keep the kalamddn, (ink-
stand, etc.) clean.
The Daftaii is as bad as the c^R if1®"
Famish.
Where is the punkha-bearer ?
Pull the punkha (ventilator). «rro*fl
Pull it gently.
Pull it hard.
I feel it very hot.
>'<i,+ take this letter to ^
that gentleman. fF$T sic ^1
* Ftirr~is/i, vulgarly Frosh, a servant whose business is to sweep the mats, carpets, etc.
f The Da ft or 7 is properly a "record-keeper" or " ivgi.-trar," but in Bengal the term
is generally applied to an inferior offiee servant, who prepares writing materials, and
arranges the books of the establishment.
J The llai-k^)-a\* literally a factotum ; but his principal duties are carrying letters,
messages, etc. ; and sometimes acting as spy or emissary.
186 APPENDIX C.
And bring the answer.
If the gentleman be not at *ri% srlz^ 3T? »r|
home, then wait till he ^Ts~f? ^t
comes. ^f^ .
"Who is there ? C^ ^sTU^r ? or
Go to the Post-office, and dis- ^T^re? f*f?1 , ^ Ttf^ft Tl 1> <^
patch this package by langl*
and if you see that any letter ^iP^^U^ Or«t 051
has arrived, then bring it. *sft v^r .
DIALOGUE 2.
SarJcdr.
SarMrfi go to the bazar. >i<i <?•!<!,
You are to buy some articles f;srf*it?
for me.
What things shall I have to
buy?
Three lustres, eight pairs of fs«TF|
wall-shades, a pair of candle- Cf9t=rf^ff? ,
sticks, two standing shades, ^9" c*T5f,
five hanging lamps or Ian-
terns, one hand-lantern; and
some porcelain.
* The b~mgi is a long pole with slings at either end supporting portable baskets for
conveying parcels, etc. too large for the regular mail. It is conveyed on men's shoulders
at the average rate of five miles an hour ; one relay of bearers relieving another at
certain regular stages.
f The Rarkiir in Bengal commonly denotes a native clerk in the employ of
Europeans. lie is a sort of house-steward, keeps the household accounts, receives and
disburses, and takes care of his master's money. He is generally a Hindu, and not
unfrequently a brahman. His services are valuable in one respect, viz., he will allow
)'i,iitiil>/ to cheat his ninatcr exi-rpt himself. The term is applied in some parts of India
tn clerks and accouiitants in Kxneial.
CONVERSATION WITH THE SAIIKAH. 187
What (are those) ? fr fr ?
Cup, saucer, basin (to wash fart^ (or c^nrtal), fefF (or
hands and face), ewer, jar, GRTft), 5T5 T*f ** 4 1 <!
etc. sm *rr^, -srmi ^rr
And bring drinking glasses, ^rfa wz <fm? *tT*r,
wine glasses, pots to keep
salt, mustard, vinegar, pep- «? a)\h Tjf^rn? *TT3f ;
per, etc. ; also knives, forks, ^fjr, $fiM
and spoons.
Do you rtM|iiire any wooden
furniture ?
Yes, I do. $1,
One marble (//?. stone) table, rf|*T?1 «Tt~5r<r?
two teak almirahs, four ma-
hogany teapoys, a dozen of <$|<:<&4 cs^TT^", TT?r«rr^(or
chairs, half a dozen foot- ww^) c^lfiF, ^"^Tfw *n -
stools, two couches, and one
bedstead.
Don't yon want some cloth ?
A piece of Dacca muslin, two
pieces of cambric, half a
piece of longcloth, twelve
yards of jaconet, a piece of
flannel, a piece of French
chintz, a piece of jean, a
quarter piece of broadcloth,
and two curtains.
What colour of broadcloth, —
red, black, blue, green, yel- or
low, brown, purple, ash- C^"^5^ <TtTt,
colour, or rose colour ?
And bring two quires of paper, wf? ^ fwi
188 APPENDIX C.
two bundles of pens, four ^w, Fff?n?1
pencils, six sticks of sealing- sffal-Tfit, <*re fwl iNfsr (or
wax, a box of wafer bits, a ^SJFS??), <£Rr&\ ^f^reT^ri *\w--t
hookkawith its pipe, cliillum, ST«T, ^fem ^ TT^sffa, ^^ C*f?
and cover, one seer of tobacco,
a box of cigars, a snuff-box
with snuff, a penknife, and ?F«R-?FtTM frf?, ^s <
a pair of scissors. f Tfr ^rff^^? .
But first go to the auction, f%"3 £T*fr*r fsrsitcsr *rf>e,
(and) buy what you can get ^rt^l «Tt^? *tf?F ^? •
there.
First try some five shops, know
the general rate of each
article, then buy. Take f%f=re.
care, don't you be cheated.
And some lady's articles are ^Tt?
required, ask your lady
about it.
Call a letter-engraver,— I want
to have one seal and four
badges engraved.
And I must have my name ^!? ^^T? "T^ C*tt?t^in
engraved and some cards
printed.
Go to the printing house, and ^>t*tW5rt!r
get a hundred copies of this
invitation letter printed.
DIALOGUE ,3.
srff^j jj^o ^fw The Barber, also the Tailor, etc.
Is the barber come ?
Here he is.
CONVERSATION WITH THK 15AUI5KK, ETC. 180
Good, sharpen your razor well, ^rt^l ~sfr *f?rr| *??
Your razor (loos not shave well. (TT^rT? «rr<r
Put on more soap. ^nz?1 ^rm^ (if c .
The hair must ho dipped.
Do not crop the hair.
Cut it shorter behind. *rfT5? frfr^f *rn> *<r .
You must cut the nails of my *fR<r? ST«I Offers (or
toes. ^$ c<.
Sir, the tailor is come. *TTc^*,
Well, call him to me. "srP-^1,
Measure the cloth youare to sew.
Make pantaloons of- jean. for* ^T^nr^^ ^rTSftsri (or
Shirt of cambric. (<t-sj
Jackets of longcloth.
And make some lancans of
flannel.
And darn the clothes that arc
torn.
4v
Sir, the washerman is come. (*1 !>!<•*<', C'^t^tl
Well, count and give him the
clothes.
And tell (the washerman) to ^Ti"? ^fsTTTl W « C^T
take out the ink-spots on ^Tf^T? Ff'5t
the clothes, and to iron them
well, and give within a week.
Very well, sir.
DIALOGUE 4.
On Dining, etc.
Sir, the tiffin is ready. TTft^, frftw
100 APPENDIX C.
"Well, give my salam (i.e. my
compliments) to your lady.
Butler, I have invited eight
gentlemen to-day.
Get a sufficient quantity of
things ready.
It is evening (lit. twilight).
Light the lights.
Light the parlour with candles,
And light the other rooms with
cocoa-nut oil.
Sir, the dinner is ready.
Serve it then.
Give soup and bread to that
gentleman.
Give me potato, mustard, and
salt.
Give him meat, pepper, and
vinegar.
Give a glass of wine to each, •sr^rc^ 4^*. ^tfr
Give iced water. T^P (Trirl
Give me the curry made of
radish, turnip, carrot, and
shrimps.
Give that gentleman some rice
and mangoe fish.
Give me some pold-o.
Bring whatever sorts of fruit
you have.
Prepare (the) bed.
Shake the curtains well, that
no musquito may remain in.
ON DINING, ETC. ID I
Extinguish all the lights ox- j^fci •arfa <rtf«nn
copt one. fsRT«.
Give me my night-drawers. *rf?nn ^^rtir nterr^l of « .
Awake me to-morrow at cock- ^Tfa *jfait£<i ^FF| Tf°fwfa
^s ^s *
crow.
Last night musquitocs entered *tfcr zrTTf?? srcg; snn %t*ito *it-
into the curtains, and there
were bugs in the bed, I
could not sleep well.
Sir, the month is over.
Please, order to give us our
salary. ^rr .
Call the Cashier.* *rr§rf«Ptt^
Give to these (men) their
respective dues.
Buy at once provisions for one
month, and keep in the
storehouse.
Give me a list of the things I
am to bring.
Eice, wood, salt, ghee (or cla-
rified butter), sugar, sugar-
candy, tea, coffee, pickles,
preserves, rare fruits, and
spices, chilly, pepper, cinna-
mon, turmeric, onion, garlic,
ginger, etc. ; and grain, hay,
and straw for the horses.
And tell the landlord, the bread- ^rt?Trf~5«Trf?fl,
man, butter-man, milk-man
* A corruption of the Persian kha~d>ij /, a tixaburcr or cash-keeper.
192 APPENDIX C.
and others to make bills of
their respective dues, and I
will sign them, (after which)
you may pay.
After paying these, and buying
the articles, give me an ac-
count of the money.
I want to adjust the account
every month.
DIALOGUE 5.
Time.
The morning star is up.
The night is over.
The cock crows.
It is light in the east.
It is dawn.
]S"ow what o'clock is it ?*
!Xow it is morning at six.
The sun is about to rise.
"What, o'clock is it?f
About twelve o'clock.
The sun is over our head.
Look at the clock or watch.
It is nearly three.
It just struck three.
The (day) time is gone.
It is evening twilight.
The sun is set.
* Literally, " how much of the ni^ht IKI.S dawnul r!> ,i»kwl in tlic mornin
t When askod during the day.
THE RIVER AND THE HOAX. 103
The sun is sinking.
Xow it is twilight.
The moon rises.
(It is) full moon to-day.
The moonlight appears like the (WT«,^1 f?r)S5? *T5
sunshine.
DIALOGUE 6.
The River and the Boat.
"Who is the boat-man ? 4
How many rooms are there in 4 <t&<iU4
this bafrd ? *
Three rooms and a water-closet, fs*
How much is the hire of the
boat?
Five rupees a day. fw*t
Let loose the boat when the c^rHTTjr ^rffVi^T c^l^l ^f%nl (or
flood-tide comes.
When will the flood-tide come
to-day ?
At nine o'clock.
How do you know ?
By this calculation, that in Cal- ^T? f\>iU
cutta, the flood-tide comes on Pf*r^t? f^
the morning and evening of ^1Z«T c&?f?rfiji
the tenth day of the moon.
Does the bore j* come to this 4 ?ftzr<r
side of the river ?
* Supposed to be a corruption of the English word barge. The Anglo-Indians call ii,
a htdge-row.
f The bore or boar is a sudden influx of the o^ean stream-tide into such slow and
narrow rivers as the Hoogly, when scanty of wat.T. It t.ikis puce at now and mil
moon; and seems absolutely to slide over the sluggish stream of the river. In sweeping
n
194 APPENDIX C.
Now you are rowing, but after
the flood-tide is gone, how
will you propel it against
the current?
"We shall drag the boat by a <«tT»1
rope when it is ebb-tide.
If the wind be favourable, then
we shall go by sailing.
A high wind has got up.
It is likely to be a storm.
Take the boat in shore.
The waves are fearful.
Hold the helm stoutly.
Turn it to the right.
Rowers, pull the oars hard all. wtf%?1
Lo ! the ferry boat is sunk.
Take the boat in shore.
Anchor it at this ghat*
Or fix pins on the ground and
fasten the boat to them.
Behold, a boat capsized.
Now, she is on her beam ends.
DIALOGUE 7.
Tf^tt^ The Garden. — Tank-fishing.^
I shall go to sec the garden. "^Tlf^ Tftft-r
round Fort William its noise is distinctly heard nearly all over Calcutta. The only
safety for the numerous small boats in such cases, is to rush to the middle of the river
and face the bore, which is over in a few seconds. The etymology of the word is, I need
not say, exceedingly doubtful.
* A landing-place, or flight of steps leading from the river.
t In Bengal a good garden is always furnished with a tank or artificial pond abound-
ing in fish.
THE GARDEN.— TANK-FISHIXG.
By what conveyance will you f% c^rf«?Tf?nr3
go (Sir)?
Elephant, horse, tanjan, palan- ^Tf^ , ^rtn , ^5t??Tw, *rfaf% , <rf*t ,
quin, buggy, chariot, etc. ^ art sfsfs
are ready.
I shall go on foot. ^rrftr,
Gardener, put gravel on this sflfsr, <sfc *R«r
path.
Make flower beds on both ^$J4 ^
sides of this (path).
Plant rose, and some good 4«Tft^ c*tT5Tt?' ^^° ^«T«T^ a?f*r
country flowers in this
place.
Prepare this ground, and sow
the seeds of radish, turnip, *ffw<r, *f*f, sr^?, :yrt^,
carrot, cabbage, peas, greens ^rt?^ ^<K-ini<l ft§F ~$*t .
and other vegetables.
Who told you to plant plan- ^?«rtt^ f5t*Tft^
tain there ? ?f^TcT ?
Could you not plant potato ^«ri7^r r<<ritH
there ? «TT? ^ ?
Are these seedlings or grafted 4 TT^T ?tT^ Ff?t£
trees ?
What sort of fruits are in this
garden ?
Mango, jack, cocoantit, betel-
nut, date, palm, tamarind,
custard apple, almond, le-
chees, peach, grapes, pome-
granate, guava, plantain, cu-
cumber, pineapple, water-
melon, etc.
196 APPENDIX C.
What kind of mango is of this 4
tree ?
Very superior.
Give me a nosegay every day. c?t§f
What kind of water is of this 4 <z(75f?<tt?
tank?
Yery fine ; all the people of
this neighbourhood drink
this water.
Are there any fish in this tank?
There are, but small.
To-morrow I will come and
fish.
Keep the rod, hook, line, and f^*T, Tsf*r,
bait ready. ?tf<^ .
Throw out the ground bail dt 4 srft^ ^t?
this gltat.
Why don't the fish bite ? srfr^ *THr ^
Your float is moving.
Lo, it sunk.
Don't give a jerk.
The fish will break the line
and run away.
Play your fish and land it.
The fish bite no more.
The rod(and line) won't answer
Get fishermen and cast the net. "SFTfwi "Fff%<n "STtsT
There are lots in now. JreT<r 6rUgi ^i <:•«•
I can feel them tug and try to
bolt.
Haul in steadil.
THE GENTLEMAN AND THE ARCHITECT. 197
DIALOGUE 8.
The Gentleman and the Architect.
Sir, the bricklayer is come. nk$4, ?1~5f
Tell him to come to me.
Sir, I heard you are going to
build a house.
What kind of house will that
be ? — how large, and how
many storied ?
Two storied, a hall in the (ifl~5T*rl, "srcy ^ PTl^TT^ (or
middle, two rooms on each flT1^ "5^"^. ^f?r (or
side, a pillared veranda on
the south, a portico on the
north ; its staircase will be
of wood, its floor with flues fw|
underneath, and there will
be a turret room on the top
of the house.
There will be wall around the <tf£)<i c
house, a gate on the north, ^-sirtsn (or C*fT?),
a wicket entrance on the
west side.
On the north east, there will
be a stable, a place to keep
elephants, a coach-house, an
aviary, a cow-house, a goats'
place, a kitchen, a lumber
room, a storehouse, and scr- *r<r r
rants' out offices.
Mind there be a good water-
closct in the most suitable «TR1 r
place.
198 APPENDIX C.
Bring bricks, lime, and surJci
or brick dust.
What shall we do about wood?
Timber is already purchased,
I shall employ carpenters at Tt^ftTS |^5T? faffs; ?tf*T?Tl
home, and have beams, (or^rl^l),?l[^,C^3^,<3
rafters, door-frames, win- «T^«rf^5Trt ^ *t<rtfwl
dows, door-panels, Venetians <Hl^< •
and window-bars prepared.
And iron bars, hinges, screws, c=Tt^T? *t?tfwl, <Hs«*l,
bolts, nails, lock and key ftt«r,
I shall get from the market. ^T
At present get some bamboos, >r*^ff^ <rr*T,
strings, and send for some
thatchers.
Eun up two thatched sheds.
And have their roofs thatched st^T? Ff=r «r^5, f%TI
with straw, long leaves or ^«W «rt«T?t=T fwl
small tiles. .
Place the foundation cord on
a lucky day.
And lay the foundation stone.
Begin to dig the foundation.
What will be the thickness of
the foundation wall, and
that of the house wall ?
IIow deep will the foundation
be?
Will the roof be made of tiles ^1~5 T^fe ^(r& ^T^TTI *Us> d<
or bricks ? (TT*ft ^C^ ?
The roof and the cornice will ^ts ^ f^r?^^r (or
be of tiles.
INDIGO CULTIVATION, ETC. 199
Plaster the outer wall with sand *rr?? Ttf?r? TTf%?
rub, and the inner with lime. r»>i<:<l J^^TV ^ .
The staircase floor is to be of f^fV? *!<:<i<i (srrBF <TT5E?<r
stone.
The steps will be about twelve «rf*f ^rP*rrw TT? ^f«p ^
inches high.
Iron rail must be put on the <tt<it-*ly c*if$.t4 ($% fifrs $$ (.4.
veranda.
In Calcutta, it is necessary to <*fa$l>il*l (trtiltei^ «tT!r
plaster walls, otherwise
damp-rot gets in.
It is necessary to repair every fjw Fit? ^<f*r<r tsT¥<r («<H*J"5
third or fourth year.
Sand rubbing and white- Ttfsr
washing arc finished.
Now painting remains. <W£
"What paint, and how much of f% <r° ^5 «nf^
it do you want ?
One maund of verdigris(green), ?r3~5F ?° 4^ *
half a maund of lead (white SR, 3F^r| *ffr*T (*1T,
and blue), yellow — 25 seers, C^=T <$$ '
// */
Europe oil one maund,
country ditto ditto .
DIALOGUE 9.
Indigo Cultivation^ etc.
How does the indigo grow in ^ ^
these lands ?
The indigo is most prolific on ^wt? ^THT « CWt^s «n
the shoals and banks of ^r.
rivers.
200
APPENDIX C.
Ft*T
If the other lands be well cnl-
tivated they will in like
manner produce indigo.
Go and ask the Zaminddr.*
If he gives me a lease of this
Malial^ I will make a fac-
tory here.
The ZamTndar cannot give you
a lease in perpetuity, but can
grant one fora certain period.
Does water remain in this
water course throughout the
year ?
Lay the foundation of a factory
on the bank of this inlet.
On the first start make four
pairs of vats, a boiler, a
press godoAvn and a drying
godown.
Build a bungalow for me to
liye in, a house for the
dmkls^ and a long straAV
hut for the coolies. §
* The word Zam~n-dnr literally signifies "land-holder;" hut it would bo incorrect to
consider him on the same footing as our "landed proprietor." Till of late the Zamliidar
was merely a collector of the revenue, and was liable to be removed at the pleasure or
caprice of the government, especially under the Muhammadans. Under the British
government the ZmtJndilr is generally recognised as the actual proprietor of his district
as long as he regularly pays the fixed revenue, which consists of nine -tenths of the net
proceeds of his lands.
t Mahal is a smaller portion of the Zemindar's district, which he is privileged to sublet
for a fixed period.
J A corruption of an Arabic word denoting agent or superintendent.
§ The word coolie denotes a common drudge or labourer in its most extensive signifi-
cation. The term is now become familiar" to the English reader.
«JtCcr<[ *Ttt?
Fff?
sr<r,
? Tff^Rt?
INDIGO CULTIVATION, ETC. 201
Purchase indigo seed in pro- *wt? *U*Kt6* TO
portion to the quantity of «ff?if ^ .
land.
The present season is the most F? &$\M *ffa ir*Mt<l
fit for sowing seeds on char
lands, because, these have snft ^
improved by the inundation,
and are still moist.
The highlands will not be fit ^tt?? st*ft (RtTTl? C5?t? (or
to be sown without they are ^ fw Ffa) sfl
tilled twice or thrice.
It is difficult to produce indigo
entirely by home cultivation
Call the Eyots* and give them <rJv?T3 ^
advances.
"What is the rate of indigo ^Tt^t? ^tc«T? i^ f% ?
plant upon which advances
are given to ryots ?
Twenty bundles per rupee. T>t^1ir
What is the rate of advance ? iffac*? f^f?«t
Two rupees per lighd.^
Then give advance for four ^<r^ Fff? •*T5 fert? Pftfift5'' Or ^ .
hundred lighds.
Ascertain the ability of the *£T^rf? ^t=T ^ ^T c*ff<F
ryots and the number of 3?f?Tfl
ploughs they possess, before
you advance to them.
I shall go to inspect the lands,
* The term ryo^ (properly ranjat] in Arabic denotes "the people or subjects" col-
lectively ; but in India it is applied simply to the peasants or cultivators of the soil.
f The blyhn is a measure of land varying widely in extent throughout the different
provinces of India. On an average it is not far from being equivalent to half an
English acre.
202
APPENDIX C.
The indigo plants are not bad,
but the lands are over-
grown with grass.
Weed (the plants).
Begin cutting the plants on FJ
the char lands.
Fix the pump andraise the waters
Steep the plant for only ten ff*f
hours, otherwise the colour
will be bad.
Put clean water and wash pro- *ff?p?rf3
perly.
Boil properly and take to the
press house.
Cut the cakes and dry them.
Weigh and see what quantity
is produced by each frame.
Now pack up the indigo and
dispatch it to Calcutta.
I have a desire to build a
sugar factory.
How is sugar-cane cultivated
here?
Sugar-cane grows, but not
sufficient for the purposes
of a factory.
If you cultivate, it might *rfrr
answer.
Is datc-/jroor obtainable here ?
It is obtainable ; the date trees *rfTT
are not plentiful here, but
Ilir //oor is brought from the
cast quarter.
ftrs
"*$
fwl
<j?P<tyl c? «t
t-fci'H
ftf^r?
5irT?
THE MERCHANT AND HIS IJAXlAN.
203
DIALOGUE 10.
The Merchant and his Banian*
My compliments to yon, Sir !
The same to you, Sir.— Where
do you live, and what is
your name ?
My house is at Calcutta, and
my name is -
What are you come for ?
I heard that you have come
to this country to trade.
I am come to you with the hope
of carrying on youi-business.
What business do you do ?
That of Banian to merchants.
How much commission do tlie
Banians receive in buying
and selling ?
Two pice per rupee.
Well, I have got various sorts
of metals, clothes, and other
articles in my ship ; you
shall have them to sell and
piu-chasc country goods for
me.
Whatmetalshaveyoubrotight,
Sir?
(>Ht»j .
c*t«n,
or
<tf<!<:4 -
Tff«raj
fa
c«itc*<i
«t>fy
<?
<j»»tj
* The word banian (properly baniyii) denotes a " Hindu trader," or " money cb.in^ii'."
In Bengal the term is generally applied to the native cashier or man of bu>ine<> mij>K>\i d
in European mercantile houses. He acts as agent between the firm and the native
dealers or manufacturers ; and not unfrequently he has a small share in his employers'
concern.
204 APPENDIX C.
Gold, silver, brass, bellmetal, crW, Wl, f*^T, fT*fl,
tin, copper, zinc, iron, steel,
quicksilver, lead, and load-
stone.
Well, Sir, sell them off at this
opportunity.
The price of these things is
now high.
What goods of this country
will you buy, Sir ?
What sorts of grain are to be
had in this country ?
Paddy, (husked) rice, barley, *rfa, Ff^cT, TR, MT, f%«T,
wheat, sesamum, mustard, (or
etc., all are obtainable. irtir
At present buy rice and wheat,
the current rate of rice JWW Ft^rJT? if?
is low, but that of wheat is fan
high.
Purchase silk, silk-handker-
chiefs, shell lac, opium, and
saltpetre, if you can get *lf?w
them at a cheap rate.
A silk broker has brought a <£& SR
sample.
Show it to the appraiser.
What price does he say for this? ^t? fe if?
He Avants a very high price, c^r ^srfs F^sl if?
in addition to his brokerage. W? irt^Tf^t Ffir .
Is it better to buy cotton and
sugar here, or to get them
from the western provinces ?
THE MKllCIIAXT AND HIS BAXIAX. 20-J
It will be better if you can
get them imported from O £« •sTTWpft <r-f<J<:A
Gazipur, or Mirzapur.
But they refine well at Dhoba ;
Rhadhnnagar is very stringy. ?Tf*rR*fr<r<r
Many merchants send their
agents up, and they pur-
chase at a cheaper rate.
Are any inland duties paid on c*r TT^T crr»rt
country goods imported here ? \5lr~f? f% «t?r*J<:'D<) u
No, but duties are levied upon »r|,
them when exported to
Europe.
K"ow that steamers have been
introduced, it has become
very easy to come and go.
Can these steam-boats work
in the ocean ?
These can go through any sea. <$
Do you think Bengal will ever 05T*rf<r
grow coffee equal to that of
Mecca or Ceylou ?
There are plantations at Chit-
tagong and Shantipur.
DIALOGUE 11.
fc1^4 •]• ^6 c^^rt The Doctor and his Patient.
"Wliat sickness have you ? ffTsrf? fa
* Literally, " fire-boat."
t The terra D~iktnr or DaJdar Sthib is applied only to European medical practitioners ;
the native JEsculapius is called Baidya, whose routine of practice is, to say the least of
it, rather questionable.
APPENDIX C.
20G
Yesterdayafter dinner twitches *Tfa '^rf^Tz?? *fi?[
came over me, my face and
eyes got flushed, and I felt stf^sra, * *frs* ^fes «TT-
chilly.
After a short time a shiver-
ing fit of fever came on,
and it still has got hold of
me.
Did you vomit ?
I vomited twice.
But I had no motion.
Let me see your tongue.
Let me feel your pulse.
I have a very bad head-ache,
and stomach-ache.
You must be bled first, or
apply leeches on your head,
and take physic.
AYhat shall I eat to-day ?
Sago and sugar-candy, if you
feel hungry.
How are you to-day ?
I am better than yesterday ;
I have not the stomach-
ache, the head-ache is al-
most gone, and niy Climbs
are not very hot.
But I have still a burning and fr¥ w^ (or *nr?r?
thirst.
Take this medicine one and
half an hour before the
fever comes.
T1IK DOCTOR AND HIS PATIENT.
Send this chit (prescription) <s(%~ frrfr M
to the dispensary, they will w^*, ja& (4li?i
give you a bottle of liquid ^tn 4*^ci>1 fry? Tftf
medicine, take half a c/w (a/;* «[fo c< .
of that after every hour.
What regimen do you direct
me to take to-day ?
This medicine will cure your
disease.
How long has he (or she)
been ill ?
Since yesterday.
lias he had any spasms ?
Has he been purged ?
He has been purged six times, ^ir Tt? 99
Put a mustard poultice upon 9 ^j<i
his stomach. ^t^^ (or
Give him as much cold water
to drink as he wishes for.
Give him this draught, and
repeat it if it is thrown off (*t£T? «n srir^ (or
the stomach. csi <JtsrgT
When did these eruptions ap- >n 'jftfs T3F5T
pear ? (or
Yesterday afternoon. ^rff^r ^ ^T?T?? *t?(orc<«kd).
Do you feel nausea ? rsT^tjr ^tl
Whore do you feel pain ?
Point out the place.
Does this pressure hurt you ?
I feel a great pain. ~z~s ?7«n
* J'idt Appendix C on Weights and Mea-'uros.
208 APPENDIX C.
If he gets worse, come and
tell me.
Can you sleep at night ?
I cannot sleep well.
Does he rave ?
Yes, he talks a great deal of fl,
nonsense.
Get his head shaved.
Put a blister on his head, be-
hind his ear, upon his chest,
between his shoulders, at
the back of his neck, or
over his belly.
Eub this well into the skin nr«tf^ (3T^1 (or
where the pain(or disease) is.
Let two drops of this liquid be £f}% ^Tf^s ^^ 1 4 <:<?<!
put into the eye every night. C^T^I t^di frr « .
Take one large spoonful three
times a day.
Take one spoonful every third
hour.
Have you a cough ? C3t*rT?
Have you much expect oration? <FT3T f
Take one pill every second
hour.
Take the pills to-night, and wtfw ?rrfar^5 ^ ?f% (or
the di-aught to - morrow
morning. ^^f< (or
Are your bowels regular ?
Has the medicine acted on the 03 ^^fes f%
bowels ?
THE GENTLEMAN AND HIS PANDIT. 209
DIALOGUE 12.
f*P3FT<f Hunting.
Is there game in the wood fcrcn^ j^- ^r fW?
near this ?
No tigers ; but there arc wild
hogs.
Well, take my hunting ele- ^!x*1 ^srfrt? f*irrft r
phants and hunting dogs. f*l<-l'<ft f- <s
Guns, pistols, etc. bring with T^ « f*rg*r
you.
Powder, ball, and shot.
Tell the (native) huntsmen to
take their bows, arrows,
javelins, etc.
Let go the dogs in the wood
to stir up the game, and
you fire from all sides.
The game will be up and alive
and come out.
There goes a deer.
Fire sharp.
DIALOGUE 13.
Gentleman and his Pandil.*
Sir, there is a Pandit come.
Let him in. ^"nrrs <TT « .
My compliments to you, Sir.
* The term Pandit is applied to a Icanud Hindu who knows more or le« "f S:in>krit.
He is a Brihman of course, and geiui-ally occupies hiiii- m tcacliing £uruijcar:a
Sanskrit, and its derivative vernaculars.
Jl
210 APPENDIX C.
The same to you, Sir.
Your name ?
Ishwar Chandra Sharma. (Hi
And what peculiar honorary ^rt? ^«Tffk f% <£ft^l
degree have you acquired ?
Folks are good enough to call
me Bidyabdgish.*
What are you come for ? ^Wfr f%
I heard you are going to study <sf~s ^-crfa ^rf^tf^ 4
the language of this country.
Yes ; but what ought I to begin
first — Sanskrit or Bengali? ^f? — 7T°^5 fa
If you wish only to communi-
cate with the Xatives, then
learn Bengali.
But if you wish to go deep into fa® *rffr TWsrt?
Bengali, or enter into the
sciences of the Hindus, then
you must learn Sanskrit.
Let me first master the Ben-
gall, so as to read, write, f!r*R
and speak, and then I will *ft<R? ^"^ ^T0"^3 ^ «j l>r
study Sanskrit. ^f?R .
But Sanskrit is very difficult, fa® TT15"^^ ^s ^fc* .
Sir, there is no language so sTfE^, &[SF$ •$$•; ^t5l ~^T?
difficult, and at the same
time no language so good.
Arc there many good books of
Sanskrit literature ?
HINDI' SUPERSTITIONS.
Arc the Sanskrit Looks poetry Tf
or prose ?
They are both prose and poetry, •st'57
but tlie greater part in poetry.
Pandit ! how can 1 acquire the *rf
family and household con-
versation of the Bengali ?
"We mostly contract the words
in familiar con versation, and ^t^r ^«r) f\rj7^^ <-f<iii1 ^f^.
intermediately introduce ^0 ^ifJ^ ^^T? ??yi s c?-R
proverbs and slang. If you ^«D ^^t^f ^f<r irnt
wish to speak our daily ^ri^rT^tt
household dialect, and uu- f»rf<nr5
derstand the uneducated
natives when speaking to
one another, you must learn
those contractions, that is,
our proverbs and patois,
and practice conversation
familiarly with us.
DIALOGUE 14.
Ilimlu Superstitions.
Wliat is the rule about the *$rs
lucky and unlucky times ? ^^° f<? ^r^T':? ^rr
and how is the calculation ^ ?
made ?
The astrologers make calcu- ^i^<?1 %? =^ra? ^ff
lations by the motions of -T^
the planets and stars.
212 APPENDIX C.
Some people, however, without
being astrologers, have ac-
quired a knowledge of lucky
and unlucky times.
The good Hindus do not enter
upon any matter of weight ^lr^ <3?*zf '^srTTS" ^t? sr|,
on unlucky days, i.e. mar- ir«ri
riage, taking the thread,
first eating of rice, visiting
a great man, beginning a
new work, and the like.
But what days have you fixed w% ^ ^ f <*((.$ F?s& fw»r
for dying and being born ?
God and the Erahnians have
not made an exception on
those particulars.
A certain portion of each day £fPs f^sr Tliic<ci1
is Idrbeld or unlucky time,
in which actions of import-
ance are prohibited.
Two days of a week are un-
lucky to go to each of the fff^-'*rcT —
four sides. Those days are
called diJc-shul) i.e. unlucky
for a certain side. They are
as follows :
On Sunday and Friday go not ?fr ^3p ?tc?
to the west. zy.
On Saturday and Monday to
go to the east is unlucky.
On Tuesday and Wednesday
go not to the north.
HINDU SUPERSTITIONS. 21 0
On Wednesday and Thursday irftFM fcfan T*f ^r^rfs Ttr<r .
the south is unlucky.
Certain lunar and planetary r^T5* fjfa
days are also unlucky.
The months of Bhadra, Faush,
and Chaitra arc impure, and
those of Baishakh, Kartik,
and Magh arc considered
holy, and the full moon of
those months is specially
holy. The last day of every
month also is comparatiA'ely
more holy (than the rest).
"No marriage or other optional « gb^s^ rs' ?
"
ceremony takes place in the *r| ^° ^T^J <fT^J
months of Bhadra, Paush,
and Chaitra, which are con-
sidered impure for those 3-z? *H, ^r«rn *rfiRt£<r<r
purposes ; for instance, one
would not change his resi- T),
dence, or keep any member
of his family at another's
house.
The first and last days of every srfcsr? ^fsftr fww ^s -5T°iF{1%
month, the day of the new ^wR-yrl « 5|f3«T3
moon, and the first day of W*
the moon's increase or wane <2fT?r
are unlucky for ^oin2j to a
«/
place, or visiting a great man.
The time of eclipse is impure,
but best for ffivinsj alms,
o o /
making worship, etc.
214 APPENDIX C.
As certain days of a month m»r c^t«* fr^^r sflir*T?
and certain portions of a fw*T
day are unlucky, so are ccr-
tain times and moments
lucky for certain purposes.
Docs what is said to be lucky,
always turn out so ?
Why do the people still believe
in (these) calculations ?
They do not think that there
is no truth in the calcula-
tion ; but that the calcula-
tions had some mistake in
them. So the superstition
is perpetuated.
Apropos ! I forgot to ask you, ^CTt
— why do the Hindu women
practice tattooing ?
Sir. it is said, that by receiving
tattooing they can avoid the
torment of the God of death.
Tliat is to say they endure
beforeliand this torment in
lieu of the torment of hell.
(3 n what part of the body do
they receive the tattooing ?
Between the two eyebrows,
above the nose, and often ^T^CT? srfs?
on the chin, on each side Hlr*T, T^; <? 5"HT5 f
of the nose, on the chest
and on the hands.
ON DACOITKE.
But now this wrong idea has feign ^ffa<i ±TT? *rTfa 5^
nearly become obsolete. In "&3 c?UC<T-j WC? <stT$
respectable and good fami- •rrfrl ^T?t 4 fur^? TT?1
lies, the young women, for vf*f»rt<rfJT*fre
the most part, do not dis-
figure themselves by these
marks.
DIALOG ri-: is.
On Dacoitcc*
Last month, there was a great *f\5
dacoitee in my neighbour's
house.
How ?
First, a person cut through the
wall and entered the house.
That same thief then opened «t£? c**i>~ CF^? fsfwt?
the back-door to the others.
And thus all the gang robbers
got inside the premises, and
lighting their torches, raised
their shouts.
They took much cash.
The village Chauknlar t and
others encountered them.
Then there was a tight, and
lives lost, on both sides.
Some dacoits being wounded,
have been seized. <5Tf^sl
* The words ffncoif and dacnitce (properly d'J.'-it] have ni>w. like /--.'/.'iV. >-;/f.'. a:. 1
many others, taken their place in the Knu-li.-h laii^mfre. \ <!<tc>;>'t denotes ";i rubber"
as one of a i,raii!j ; dacoitte, " gan£-robhery," ^ p.. i-.illy accompanied by violence.
t C/cauk7d<~>/- denotes li a \vatchman in general," hence, "a policeman or tcutlnd."
216
APPENDIX C.
Did not the dacoits seized men-
tion the names of the other
dacoits who ran away ?
One or two of them did, but
after a great deal of torture.
A palcJca* dacoit never men-
tions the name of his brother
dacoit even at the hazard of
his own life.
But there is no clue where the fag
others have gone.
lias the stolen property been
found?
There has been a trace of some
of the property through in-
formers.
Did the person robbed men-
tion any property which
has been stolen ?
K"o, he did not.
A respectable native never
does so, for fear of being
afterwards obliged to iden-
tify and take back the pro-
perty
»r| ?
«n .
The Ddroffd^ beat some of the trlz?T*t1
dacoits very severely, but ^S^ <2T^T<r
could get no confession from
them.
3F<rft~F5
* The word pakka literally means "ripe" or "mature;" hence, in a figurative sense,
" sharp" or "experienced."
t The general meaning of I)~irfiy~t is "overseer" or "headman." In Bengal the term
is generally applied to the supcriuteudant of a police, custom, or excise station.
ON DACOITKE. 217
"What lias become of that case ? c^ *K-*»U<1 f%
The witnesses to the Diet and t>f*r->i £j«Jd*fi<i fo
»^ \
to the circumstances of the
case have given their evi-
donee well (i.e. against the
dacoits).
The witnesses to their good ^IdM >if*r<id4<i
character or defence were (or (St<U4) *rt*pt ^R ^£ yt-
summoned.
The dacoits have given their
evidence upon it, but there-
by they are not cleared.
The Darogii, in his final report, ?tT<rt^t1
has given his opinion that
their murdering and com- **f«
mitting the dacoitee is fully
proved.
And the Magistrate too, in his
proceeding of committal, has c^«ttTff W^tjrtrs ^ srs <rlir
given the same opinion, and fsff«t?1
made over the prisoners for
trial (to the Sessions).
I think two of them will be
hanged or imprisoned for life,
and the others will have long
periods for imprisonment.
AYill this case go to the Sadar
* The term MTijistrct Sahib applies only to the Hon. Company's Civilians, appointed
as Judges and Magistrates over certain districts.
t The Sadar Nizamat 'AdCilat is the Supreme Criminal Court of Bengal
218 APPENDIX C.
I think it will.
For, if the Judge deems the
capital punishment neces-
sary, he will report to the
Sadar Nizamat ; or if the
Fativd* of the Muhamma-
dan Law Officer is not con-
curred in by the Judge, a
reference to the Sadar Xi-
zjimat will be required.
In that case, two have been or JR-Mld^ ^v5^
sentenced to imprisoment
for life in transportation be-
yond the sea ; four to four-
teen years ; three have been
released on recognizances
for 200 rupees, and five on
giving bail for good conduct
for two years.
DIALOGUE 16.
Litigation.^
He has brought a suit against fsfr "^
me in the Jlunsif's Court. £
* Ft/ticr', "a decree" or "sentence" in Mubammadan law.
t This dialogue is a fair specimen of what we described in § 124 r. as the practical
style. It alxni'.ids in words and phrases adapted fruin the Arabic, Persian, IIind"istiiiiT,
and Eiigli.-li, all more or less mudiiied or c-rnipted. Such terms may, by the squeamish,
he called /////w/-e ; but, in fact, they arc all absolutely necessary, as no pure Sanskrit or
L\ ngfdT terms could convey the precise meaning intended.
~i Tlu; Jlun.iif is a native civil judge under the British Government. His jurisdiction
i- limited, in Bengal, to small suits not exceeding the value of 300 rupees, or £30 of our
LITIGATION. 211)
On what account, and what
dnos ho lay the suit at ?
For one hundred and twenty-
live rupees, principal and
interest as due on a bond
debt.
What has become of it ?
A summons was served on me
to appear at the court per-
sonally or through my
pleader, and tender my an-
swer to the plaint, within
fifteen days.
But thereupon I did not ap-
pear.
The plaintiff then deposited the
peon's wages, upon which a
notification was issued to this
effect, that if I would not ap-
pear in the court personally
or through a pleader, and
file my answer to the plaint,
the cause will be judged
ex-parte.
Upon this, I filed a power of
attorney, and appointed a
pleader, through whom my
answer was put in.
The plaintiff then filed a re-
plication.
To which my pleader tendered
a rejoinder.
220
APPENDIX C.
<-fa'<:--i>
The plaintiff had greatly over-
valued the suit.
This, as well as many other \5ts1, &
defects of the plaint were offa
shewn in the answer.
Upon which the plaintiff filed
an amended plaint.
And we put in a supplementary
answer to the same.
After which the Judicial Ofn-
cer drew up a proceeding.
And in that, having fixed the
points for adjudication, he
ordered the parties to ad-
duce theii1 documentary and
oral proofs.
We accordingly filed, on our
respective parts, the docu-
ments and the lists of
names of witnesses.
Subpoenas were accordingly
issued in the name of, or to
the witnesses.
Then on the day appointed,
almost all the witnesses ten-
dcred their appearance be-
fore the Court.
The witnesses of the opposite
party having been duly
sworn, bore testimony in
his favour ; and my wit-
nesses in mine.
tflTt?
Jflf«leT
fa ifc'l fa 4 <t-fayl
J?Tf<t«f
wtft
fay ft
5ft?
*ftfwi ftfs ^rs ^T
(or
$ "*rtf^?rt <?
LITIGATION*. 2-!l
Have you been able to learn f^FlT^eT?* ?t"T
tlio opinion of the Judge ?
No, the Judicial functionary is 5*1,
neitlicr favourable nor mi- SR, <«rgnpsT-<2 SR.
favourable to any party.
A judge should be equally well ^H^U^ >l<Ksl<l £ff3
disposed to all parties, and
always of the same disposi-
tion and of a certain temper.
I shall not easily give up my <3*t*t^ ^ ^^TST ^TfiR =n.
right.
If the case be decreed against "rfrf ^fvit<l ^1? f^rft ?ir, itt
me, I shall appeal against f*rt" ipyviiTTT?^"^^^^ •s?'gf-
it to the Judge.
And should I be defeated in
appeal, I will prefer a special c*ZT5 *ft"*T
appeal to the Sadar Court."\
If a special appeal be dis- ^ «rr
missed, then there can lie ^t^T? 5*1 <ftwtT3
an appeal from it to the <?ftcT ^^c« «Tt£? f^? -r)
Queen in Council ?
No, an appeal can be lodged *ri, fwT5 T5Tt'!Tt=T C^«
in the Privy Council only wltrsi ^rf^fttcT? -fl
from the decision passed on ^"^5 <Tfr? .
a regular appeal.
What are the preliminary steps fwte ^rt*ft=T <?f<c^ 59 c«i
to be taken in preferring an £f«ft?~ f% f% ?F?1
appeal to England ?
* The Bichar-karta or Hakim is the native supremo authority in a district next to
that of the European Judge and Magistrate. The latter i= always styled the J>:j S<~/<i0,
as a distinction.
f The Sadar Dlwunl 'Adalat under the late Honourable Company was the Supreme
Civil Court, and the Court of tiual appeal, iu India, in each of the three rresiiLiiULS.
222 APPENDIX C.
First it is necessary to file the
petition, subsequently to *t?F|
deposit the expense of the
translation.
Then the court demand security
What kind of security ?
Is it only for the personal ap- ^twt? WT^ffc, «r|
pearance, or for the results
of the suit ?
A security for costs. <t?Ft?
I had brought an action for ^rTfir
possession of a property from
which I was dispossessed.
What order has been passed
on that ?
It having been established be- fe?tftlT
fore the Magistrate by local
investigation, that I held
the disputed property in
continuous possession, he
has kept me in.
Is the property sued for move- C3 f<ydiJ?
able or immovable ?
"Why, don't you know that
Act IV. applies solely to
real properly.
The other partv, dissatisfied
JL */ ^
with the order, brought a
regular suit, which has been sr^^tTiri T5TTtT5f<r
referred to the Sadar Amln*
for trial.
LITIGATION.
How far have the proceedings r*r ai«E'*;ji<i gr C'Trrfensn
reached ? $?*1U5 ?
Only the lour pleadings have c^^T FTf?
Leen iilcd. "TfT^j
The ease lor the execution of (7PT? fs^ft
your decree has Leon struck ST^IT srrfVsF
off the tile.
The paternal estate, I think, r*ffaRF OI *f9 tsfcT &UCS?
will this time Lo dono for.
AVhy, what has happened ?
The Collector having measured
it under Regulation II. of ^ffr ^FrT<n ^-jr=Ti-^t5r)
1 810, has issued a notice.
AVliat harm is there in that ?
No one will take your property c~5tsrf? fji f<iytj
indirectly (without invest!- sf^T* ^ .
gation).
There will Le a trial, at which
your proofs will be exam-
ined, and if they prove it ^"re, Tlrrrs 7r«rr«f
rent free, it will Le released, ^T^'W fir <HiTpT f"
otherwise it will Le resumed.
Amongst the documents there
is only one deed of registry,
—my house Leing Lurnt, the
grant and deed of release
were destroyed.
Then it will Lc difficult to win •&& rsi ^r^t^l <TT^in "»T?
the case. CtT3" .
224
APPENDIX C.
The Court will not hear such
excuse.
But it will not be altogether
lost to you, — a settlement
will be made to you, and
you will receive 50 per cent.
as Mdli/cdnd or proprietary
right.
There is another remedy left,
Had you possession before the
Company's accession to the
Dewany or after it ?
I think we had possession from
a time previous to the De-
cennial settlement.
There has risen another dis-
pute as to this property
being Mdl* or LdJchardj.
The Zammdar has put in a
petition of objection.
It is now become very difficult
to keep landed property —
for one day's delay in pay-
ing the revenue, the Zamm-
dari is put up to sale.
True, the rules for levying the
revenue from the Zammdar
are hard enough, but the
rules for realizing the rents
from the ryots are not less
C3t*rr?
*fsj?t*t
«TWfl)
^rf?
er >i<t<t-l<Tl
*r*r
?fs(
^Tef^rt?
«r|
* Absolute property, or rent-free.
ON HINDU MARIM.UJKS, KTC.
hurd, i.e., on the PutnMiir
or sub-tenant not paying ^srf^Ta xtc<i fair?
Ins rout, the sub-lease can
1)0 sold at auction under
Keg. VIII.
And should the ryots with-
liold the, payment of rents,
their movcablc property can
be sold under Ix(\u:. V. (of
1812), or under Hog. VII.
(IT 99), and should the value
of the personal property
thus sold fall short of meet-
ing the Zammdiir's demand,
the remainder canbc realized
by selling their real property ^TjT»t?r r
under a regular suit.
DIALOGUE 17.
On TJinda Marriages, Manners, mil
Tell me how does marriage
take place in your country?
The father, and in his absence
the mother, and in their
absence the nearest friends
by law choose a bridegroom
and give the girl in mar-
riage.
At what age ?
In respectable families, a girl
is married within the age
220 APPENDIX C.
of from five to eleven years ;
there is no limit, however,
for the age of the male.
But the custom is that the
bridegroom must be older
than the bride.
Can a per son of one caste marry
A «/
a girl of another caste ?
Never.
And can a person give his
daughter in marriage to a
person of any family, though
of the same caste ?
He can, but he is lowered in
rank if he gives his daugh-
ter to a person below him-
self in rank.
Docs this rule prevail among
all the castes ?
No, only among BrdJimans
of the lid r hi and Bdrandra
classes. — Among Kdyastha
and oilier castes, a Maulik
also can marry the daugh-
ter of a Kulln. — But still to
marry a daughter into a
high class raises the rank.
It is for this reason, I believe,
that a Kulln has scAreral
wives ?
It is not only for this reason.
A Kiilin family has its
ON HINDU MARRIAGES, KTC.
Pdlti or collateral family : •sr«rf<t ,
thus a Kulin cannot marry frrfy
his daughter except to a yrr sq, JT*° CTT
person of that family, and
a girl of this Pdlti family
cannot be married but to a
man of that family.
Therefore, if there be only •^ns-SR, irftf
one man in a family, but srft^ « 3tTT?
many girls in his PdUi
family, then that man must
marry all those girls.
I have heard that a Kulin
makes fifty or sixty mar-
riages, is it true ?
Sir, what is fifty or sixty ? >iU^< nsPT»f *tffc-Tft fe
Formerly 100 or more mar- "*T5
riages used to be made by w»r c<rifd<-<i
a single man.
Docs the man keep all those
women in his own house ?
"V^Tien he dies, do all these
women become widows ?
Certainly.
And can they not marry again?
jS"evcr! — And all their days
they must live a life of
austerity — that is, avoiding
animal food, no more than (»1SH
one meal a day, fast with-
228 APPENDIX C.
out a drop of water every «T3H ^f?nrs,
eleventh day of the moon ^gj1 «tfes
of either side, dress poorly,
etc.
If of the family of one Kulln *rfif C^rfr
there are many daughters, wi
and there is no man in his src? *rf% *Tt3f
Pa/fo' or collateral family ; *rfw ^ w! ^FCT ^irs mirr-
or if there be a man and he
is younger than the daugh- <Tf3' «Tf^, ^? f%
ters referred to, or he is
very old, what happens
then?
In the first contingency, the
girls must remain for life
unmarried, — in the second
and third cases, they can Of?
have no other man to marry f^t^ ^75 ^ft^? »ri.
but that individual.
Those Kullns who marry in
the family of Bangshaja or
broken Kullns, do they at
once lose their Kullmliip?
Not at once, but their Kulln-
5/«}? decreases from genera-
tion to generation, and the
seventh generation entirely
loscs it, and becomes Bany-
shaja.
With you folks, can cousins
intermarry- or any other
near relations ? Or can
ON HINDU MARRIAGES, KTC.
harbla marriae.
there be marriage amongst
parties of the same lineage ?
U"3ft
No, Sir, it is done amongst =r|
your race, and other people,
but not amongst us Hindus.
We arrange our marriages
ourselves, and then ask our
parent's or guardian's per-
mission, if under age — Is
it so with you ?
"VYc had a custom formerly
that a girl coidd choose a
man for herself, — that is,
many worthy candidates
having been invited and
assembled together, the girl
came and selected her
bridegroom from amongst
them, and in proof of her
choice put a garland of
flowers on his neck.
And there was another kind
of marriage — called Gdnd-
The man and woman in that
case being satisfied with
230 APPENDIX C.
each other, have no religi-
ous service, but are married
by exchanging flower gar-
lands.
Now, the girl being very <wt«l Wf?
early in life betrothed, these
marriages are out of use.
I have heard that the women
of respectable families do
not come out of their pri-
vate apartments — In what
state do they remain there ?
They wear head- wrappers, xst^t^l (*TtsnM
they do not show their ^? (siK-w ^^ Of<tT?
faces to their superiors, nor
do they converse with them,
or speak in such a way (so ^«fl ^<^ »r| .
loud) that they should hear
them.
The husband's elder brother ^t*? ^t^^Jj,
b^> u^ '
and younger brother's Avife ^tf^1 ^ <3$ t>ft% «tt^ «r|
must not be in the same
room, nor the husband's
maternal uncle and the wife
of a sister's son.
I suppose it is not your cus-
torn, as it is that of our
ladies, to shako hands and frnrl
dine, etc., with their male
fricnds. ^rtt:?? C^f ftfs
Oui- women never touch their
superiors, and hardly even
OX IITNDf MAIiKIACF.S, HIT.
2-°il
«rtir
f*ft«T =»1
any one else, and so far
from eating w/M wicw, they
do not eat in the presence
of a man.
Why don't your women learn
writing and reading ?
Because it is not the present
custom.
In former times many daugli-
tors of munis, princes, and
many other women used to
acquire learning.
Do high Ilindus dine together -
as we do ?
They sit together, but not on
chairs, nor do they eat at
tables. They sit sepa-
rately on the ground, no
one must touch his neigh-
bour, nor any one else
touch them, and they never
rise while eating, because^,
if they are touched or stand
up, they can no longer pro-
ceed with their meal.
They do not take two meals
between sun rise and sun
set.
What, can no one at all touch f%,
them while eating ?
There is no harm in the father, f«f3l, srfn,
mother, and y«/v/ touching
« sfTrr ""pp
"5TWTF?
sr|.
t^t?n
sr|
»r|,
T1TT?1 cftm
»r|
»r|.
232 APPENDIX C.
them, or a Brahman touch-
ing a Shudra, — because,
that person may take of the
same dish after them.
The Hindus do not eat any
thing with their shoes on.
If boiled-rice or curry, etc,
fall on their clothes, they
must change the clothes,
and wash with water.
Persons dining together must
commence and get up all at
once, i.e. no one begins to
eat and gets up before the
others, but must wait for
the others, though he may
be very hungry; and though
he may have done first of all.
Is there any rule as to the
taking the eatables one after
the other ?
Certainly there is — The things
somewhat bitter in taste
arc taken first, then the
pungent, then the acid, and
then at last the sweet : and
after washing the hands and
mouth, betels are chewed,
and tobacco smoked by
most.
Consona n t ,s
Mr.i .t ///,
f
Ife-
.-.
C C T[,v^ ^ <r-» I
II
n'/i
,
khr
w
si
X'.r
/«•
5
/</
"3
tf
'5J
U/Jl
nkfi
/'/'
nr fi
riJi
fun fiv fir flL fin- //.,-
IT
//
shrJth. .<Hsn
n
.thfih
shy
sth
V/ .OV
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